Flow of Life
by Ebil Chameleon
Summary: He didn't love her. He couldn't love her. He couldn't get attached. But his heart was betraying him. Building bonds that were irreversible. It was love. SasuSaku Chapter 46: Our Finale.
1. Prolouge

**Wow. Sorry it took me so long to get this reposted. I'll try to get updates in…I have two other stories I'm working on too so. For anyone who read the original version…I hope this one turns out better and a bit more in character. Not so rushed too. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor do I make any money from this fic!**

**EDIT! I'll be renovating this story. No big changes, mainly grammar/spelling. You're free to read it again though if that'll make you happy! :D**

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Her tired feet were close to allowing her body to fall to the ground. Sakura wanted nothing more than to collapse in her soft, warm, inviting bed. She was the only person on the dark street as far as she could see. The street lights guided her way, small balls of light shimmering.

She reached her place; her small, lonely apartment and hurried to open the door. Walking through her home, she lazily walked down the hallway to her bedroom. Without changing out of her nurses' uniform, she fell onto her bed and smiled for the first time that day.

But no matter how much her body desperately called for sleep, her mind wouldn't let her rest. Again. Just another night of a lousy three hours of sleep.

She felt so alone. Looking over at the empty place next to her, Sakura wondered why she didn't get a smaller bed. Why did she want such a big bed? She had no one to share it with.

With a sigh, the girl turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling. It was late. She knew that. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled her pager out and placed it on her bedside table. All the nurses had a pager in case there was an emergency and they were needed right away.

She had performed an exhausting surgery alongside Shizune today. She had the job of reconstructing his almost severed arm while Shizune and the other medics tackled the shinobi's messed up internal organs. She was chakra deprived and completey exhausted.

Her thoughts didn't allow any time of rest. She had always been thinking a lot. She was 19 now, her birthday having been mo more than a few weeks ago. She had just been promoted to jounin, after plenty of training with Tsunade and Kakashi.

Naruto was at the same level she was now and still working on his goal of becoming Hokage.

Kakashi, as far as she knew was still his usual old perverted self, spending most of his time reading his dirty novels or going on missions with their team.

The last member was still missing. Sasuke still hadn't returned. She spent countless nights wondering where he was. She wondered if he was ok, if he was coming back soon, or if he even thought of her. Probably not.

But she wanted him back. More than ever. Naruto had been helping her through the heartache he left her with and trying anything he could to make her happy. She started to warm up a bit, but stuck to his side a lot. A couple times they would spent the night at each others place, just so they knew they still had someone who wouldn't leave them.

Sakura had grown less trusting and more aware of how her friends were acting. She didn't want them walking out on her as well.

She remembered though, the time her world came crashing down. When Naruto informed her that he was leaving. He was leaving with Jiraiya for training. She curled back into her protective shell, and didn't talk a lot after that.

She wanted Naruto back. He promised her that he would return to her. That he would come back, stronger than ever so they could go and get Sasuke back.

And he did.

He came back to her and she was so relieved. He was stronger; she was stronger thanks to Tsunade. They had set out to find their missing teammate. And they had gotten so close too. But he slipped through their fingers. She was broken after that. She wanted him back so bad.

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

Sakura sat right up despite her tired limbs and reached out for her glowing pager. Damn thing. Why did she have to be called out now? It was close to midnight and she wanted sleep. She wiped away a tear that had somehow escaped from her eye and looked at the number.

It was Tsunade.

She would only call Sakura if it was an emergency. Detestably she climbed out of her bed and walked out of her apartment and into the dark abyss once more, making her way to the hospital.

**XxX**

Through half lidded eyes Sakura walked into the hospital doors and cringed as the bright fluorescent lights blinded her. She looked around. It didn't look like an emergency had happened. Tsunade was the one who told Sakura to go home a rest, so she wouldn't page her unless it was a serious situation.

She looked down one of the hallways from the waiting area. "Sakura."

Sakura jumped and spun around. "Oh. Shizune," she said, grasping her chest. The woman gave her a shock. At least she was awake now.

"Sorry. Tsunade wanted you to come here. There's uh…well she'll explain it to you," Shizune said and yawned. She was pretty tired too. Shizune walked down the hallway and Sakura followed, curious as to what could have possibly happened.

Soon enough a blonde was coming towards Sakura, her face unreadable.

"Sakura. I'm sorry to have woken you, but I really need you here for something. I have so many people to take care of tonight; I need you to keep watch over a new patient."

Unconsciously, Sakura nodded. She was a bit angry though. Called out of bed to simply watch a patient?

Shizune took a different path from the other two, and Sakura continued to walk next to Tsunade. They were heading down towards the critical condition section. Sakura looked up at the Hokage suspiciously.

"How hurt are they?" she asked. Tsunade sighed.

"He had a couple of broken ribs and some internal damage. His left arm was broken and his palm was burned, most likely from an attack he used. Also he had a good amount of cuts. Most of them I healed and it took me awhile but I was able to get him in stable condition. I'm tired but I still have others to take care of."

They stopped outside of a door and Sakura looked around curiously. Tsunade took the patients status folder and flipped through a paper. She handed it to Sakura who looked it over. She looked for a patient name but this paper didn't have one.

"Looks like they he had a tough battle. Where was he found?" she asked. Tsunade's hand rested on the doorknob.

"He was found out deep in the woods by one of our returning teams. He was unconscious and lying next to another dead body." Sakura's eyes darkened as she looked up at her teacher with confusion.

"Who's dead body?" she asked.

Tsunade hesitated for a moment. "Sakura, I want you to know if you don't think you can stay here for the night, then I want you to just say it. Don't think you have to do it."

Not knowing what to say Sakura nodded. Who could be behind the door? Tsunade took a deep breath. "You promise that you can handle anything?"

Sakura hesitated before nodding this time.

Tsunade continued. "The boy was found beside the dead body…of Uchiha Itachi."

A gasp escaped Sakura's lips. Could it be? Was it…? No. It wouldn't be. If it was…

Tsunade opened the door and Sakura looked into the room. She took a few steps into the dim place, the shadows enveloping her. "Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

Tsunade walked beside her. "Looks like his goal was complete. Itachi was taken into examination. Sasuke was close to not surviving. He was lucky he was found. Any more time…he might not have made it." Her words were whispered so quitely, give them an eerie effect.

Sakura wasn't listening though. She walked closer to the bed and looked down on the pained looking face of Uchiha Sasuke. This was a dream. A cruel dream. Right?

She raised her arm and pinched the top of her hand. It hurt. This wasn't a dream. Her hand reached out to touch his, but she stopped, not wanting to. He might disappear.

"Sakura. I know it's a surprise. Now, I need you to check his vitals at least every hour or two." The beeping of the monitors rang through the room and Tsunade looked at the back of the girl who was hovering above the injured boy. She knew this would happen.

"Sakura. Are you listening?" she asked firmly. Sakura spun around.

"Sorry Tsunade-sama. It's just…wow," she said softly.

"Well, you got what I said?" the blonde asked. Sakura nodded and gave her a weak smile.

Tsunade smiled back and looked at the clock. "I need to get going. Look over his injurious and keep checking on him. Oh and here," she said and grabbed a needle off of the table next to the bed.

"If he wakes up…which I doubt…and tries to escape or gets a bit angry in any way, inject him with this through his IV. It will put him back to sleep. And make sure you call me if anything goes wrong, or if you're having trouble with anything. Or if you have to get someone else to take over. You got that?" Sakura turned her back on Tsunade and nodded.

"Hai. I got it Tsunade-sama." Tsunade placed a hand on the girls shoulder.

"You sure you're going to be alright?"

"Yes. I'm sure," Sakura said quietly. With one last smile, Tsunade left the room to see her patients.

Sakura took deep unsteady breath and looked over at the bed behind her. He was still there.

She slumped down into a chair next to the bed and looked at him intensely. She still could swear this was all a dream. Reaching out, she touched his hand lightly. He felt real.

His handsome face was just how she remembered it from their last encounter. Maybe…things would be different now. Maybe they could be…normal.

Maybe…

Just maybe.

**Yay. Another story. Uh…I'll try my hardest to keep updating regularly. I'm not promising. Rach will remind me though….this whole story is already planned out so…it shouldn't be hard. **


	2. The verdict

**Chapter two minna! Hope you enjoy…**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…

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Two hours had passed, but to Sakura it seemed like a few minutes. It felt like time stopped. Nothing had changed from the dimness of the lights to the monotone beeping of the monitors.

Her hand lightly grasped his, her thumb caressing the top if his hand. It felt cold. But he was alive. He was. And he was here…in front of her. He might not be conscious but he was there.

She used her time to explore her feelings. She was so mixed up and it was hard to decipher what she was feeling. One thing she knew was that she was frustrated.

She was frustrated and overjoyed. Overjoyed that Sasuke was back, but frustrated that he had to be brought back. But Sakura knew that it was more likely for him to be brought back then for him to return on his own. But would he have returned on his own? Most likely not. But she didn't know that. And he wasn't awake so she couldn't ask him.

But she felt terribly angry at him. He had left her. Unconscious. On a bench. At least he was nice enough to move her. Unless someone had walked by and placed her there after he left. But that couldn't have happened. That person would have told Tsunade at least.

But she couldn't help but feel happy that he was back. Even so, her anger towards him was stronger than her happiness.

Her eyes hadn't left him. Sakura watched his breathing and the rise and fall of his chest. The monitors continued to beep, but it went unnoticed by the pink haired girl.

Suddenly, Sasuke's face changed a he started to shift around. Sakura stood immediately and watched his struggle. She could feel his hand grip hers and her eyes grew wide. Slowly he started to calm down, and once he stopped struggling, she flopped back down in her seat with a sigh.

Gathering chakra in her hand, Sakura placed it over Sasuke's chest and stomach. Luckily she noticed nothing wrong. It must have been simple muscle spasms. Sakura transferred some of her soothing chakra from her hands to his body to prevent any more twitches.

Though before she could get comfortable, a pair of onyx eyes began to open and scan the room. Looking at his face she noticed and froze. His black orbs scanned the room, confusion clouded in them. It didn't take long before he looked over at the medic next to him. His eyes widened.

Not able to find her voice, she looked on as he moved about. Sasuke propped himself up on his elbows and attempted to sit up.

"Sasuke," Sakura called to him and moved to push him back down. He still didn't speak and amazingly allowed her to push him back down. He closed his eyes briefly then re-opened them and looked around.

"Where am I?" he asked, voice course and dry. Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat.

"You're…you're in the hospital," she said. She could hear her voice shaking. "A group of our shinobi found you. Laying on the ground unconscious." She paused. "Next to your dead brother."

Surprisingly, Sasuke seemed to remain unaffected by her words. He could feel her gaze and was growing a bit uncomfortable. Slowly he started to sit up again, and pain shot through him but he ignored it.

Sakura once again jumped up and tried to push him back down. He pushed against her hand and continued to get up.

"Sasuke what are you doing? You have to rest!" Sakura said as she applied more pressure onto his shoulder. He just pushed back with equal force, which was strange for someone who was injured.

"I'm leaving," he said coldly and pushed her arm away. Sakura snapped then and could feel the tears brimming in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Instead she pushed him back down with the help of her chakra and glared at him.

"No! You can't leave! You left once and you can't leave again! Your goal has been achieved, why must you leave us again?" She was shouting and she didn't care if she woke anyone up. But then her voice dropped down. "Why must you leave me again?"

Silence hung in the air. Sakura would have given anything for him to mutter something. Just a reason as to why he wanted to leave. He killed his brother, shouldn't he want to stay in the village again? Her anger with the boy grew.

"Why?"

The Uchiha looked away and out towards the window. "I'm not wanted here." He said. Sakura scowled. So she didn't want him? Naruto didn't want him? They wouldn't have spent so much time trying to get him back if they didn't want him!

"What!? Ok fine. If that's how you think." Sakura released her grip from him. "Then go." She tried to stay calm. He could go if he wanted. It wouldn't bother her at all. Not in the least.

So Sasuke began to sit up again. He was going to do it. He was going to leave. Sakura's heart was beating fast as she grew nervous. No. She couldn't care. He wanted to leave, so she would just let him leave. It wouldn't matter. Right?

Right?

Before she could act the door opened and a shadow blocked the light that filtered into the room. The figure had their arms crossed, but Sakura wasn't able to see who it was.

"He's not going anywhere." It was Tsunade. The blonde Hokage walked into the room and frowned upon the two people in front of her.

Sasuke didn't respond and stopped his attempt to leave. He glared up at the Hokage, but was met with a glare just as menacing.

"You're not leaving this village again. And if you try…I'm sure you don't want me chasing after you." Sakura gulped. No one would want an angry Tsunade chasing after them. Jiraiya had had the experience and it was not pretty. That week in the hospital was hell with him hitting on all of the nurses.

"Now sit your ass back down and listen." Sasuke reluctantly swung his legs back onto the bed and laid back against his pillows.

"Good. Now you should be able to walk and get around in about three days, but you're not going to be perfect." Tsunade walked over to the boy and checked over his status and proceeded with adding in a little bit of her healing power.

She watched as the boys face began to relax a little. "You had some bad injuries. You could have died so easily." Tsunade gave a chuckle.

Sakura watched her shishou heal Sasuke. She couldn't help but loath him at the moment. Maybe he should've…no. She couldn't think that. She was still angry at him though.

"And it's not like you're not wanted here. Many people probably won't be too accepting at first, but everything will turn back to normal. It will be like you never left." Sakura doubted that. "If no one wanted you…why would your teammates try so hard to bring you back?"

The pink haired medic gave a small smile. Tsunade was like a mind reader. Running a hand through her hair, she gave a yawn as Tsunade finished healing Sasuke.

"Sakura. Go home and get some sleep."

"What? But aren't I supposed to keep watch over Sasuke?" the girl asked, confused. Tsunade frowned at Sakura. Her student needed sleep.

"You've been working so hard lately here in the hospital and you need rest. I want you to go home and sleep for a good while. I'm sure you won't have anymore sleepless nights now that something won't be burdening your mind," Tsunade said, hinting towards Sasuke. The boy never noticed as he continued to look out at the clear night sky.

"Ok. Fine you win." Sakura gave in and gave another yawn. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"No. I don't want to see you for three days."

Looking once more at her ex-teammate, Sakura then shifted her gaze to Tsunade for reassurance. Once the blonde nodded, Sakura slowly walked out of the room, knowing perfectly well that she wouldn't' sleep a wink tonight.

**XxX**

It had been three days and Sakura was anxious to go back to the hospital. Tsunade would have kicked her out if she was seen around there so she decided against going there.

She was just outside the building when her name was being called. "Oh! Sakura, thank Kami I found you!"

Once again Shizune came for the pink haired girl and smiled warmly. "Tsunade-sama wants to see you in her office," she said.

"Do you know why?" Sakura asked. Shizune shook her head.

"I don't know all the details but I think it has something to do with Sasuke."

"Oh. Thanks Shizune," Sakura said and ran off to the Hokage tower.

**XxX**

_Knock_

_Knock_

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Sakura, come in," Tsunade's voice called out. Sakura opened the door and peered into the room. The Hokage was patiently waiting for Sakura from behind her desk. Something else…an Uchiha slouched in a chair across from the Hokage's desk looking as if he would rather be anywhere but here.

Taking the other seat, Sakura looked around, waiting for Tsunade to speak.

"Sakura, I have figured out a punishment for our little town skipper," Tsunade began and sneered at the frown she received from Sasuke. "And he has been informed on it."

Sakura nodded. "And I have a part in this how?" she asked, not figuring out where this would lead too.

Tsunade seemed to be thinking something over and she studied the two. "If this works out you will be a very important part. You see, Sasuke here will obviously be place on probation. No missions until further notice. Not only that but he will be placed under house arrest, also until further notice. He may only leave the home with my permission and as long as he has ANBU or a jounin with him."

Sakura nodded and waited to hear what part she had in all of this. Was she supposed to be his escort? Eh. Not a job she wanted. Walking around with Sasuke for whatever reason. It's not that she didn't want to be around him, but she knew it would take time for her to adjust to him being around.

Even after so long of wanting him back, she liked the feeling that he was back, but her anger caused her to want to push him away until she was ready to befriend him.

"Now, since he is on house arrest, and since I don't trust him, we need to give him a place to stay before I can allow him to stay on his own. And I want him to stay with someone who isn't a stranger. Someone from his old team would be perfect."

Jade eyes grew wide as she realized her task. "Tsunade-sama, no! Can't he stay with…with Naruto or Kakashi?" Sakura asked frantically. No! He couldn't stay with her!

"Well Sakura, I really can't trust him at Naruto's house. The kid can barely take care of himself and buy proper food. How would this one survive if he can't leave to get some real food? Not to mention we would open the door to a corpse."

"Fine. But…Kakashi!?"

Tsunade shook her head. "You know he rooms with Genma, there wouldn't be enough room for three of them in their apartment."

"Buy them a bigger house! Two jounin looking after him is better than one helpless little girl!" Sakura knew she was loosing.

"I'm sorry Sakura; I'm not going to buy them a bigger house. I don't have the money, they don't have the money, and I don't need the whole village asking me for expenses that I don't have. Plus it would be more beneficial for him to stay with a medic nin. He had healed well, but a medic nearby would be reassuring."

"But Tsunade!" Sakura whined. "I'm usually at the hospital, so who would watch him while I'm at work?" she asked, feeling her break coming.

"ANBU or a jounin would fill in for you. He's going to be called in for questioning a lot too, so it's not much to worry about." Sakura groaned. She was surprised that Sasuke hadn't butted in.

She looked over at the stoic boy, who was glaring hard at a pile of books settled on Tsunade's floor.

"Don't you have anything to say?" she shouted at him. His glare turned to her.

"It's not like I have much of a choice," he said back, rather calmly. Even if he had to stay in the village, he would have liked it better if he could return to the Uchiha complex and stay there. But he was stuck with some girl who was probably still nuts over him and just as annoying, and weak, and just…so much like the Sakura he remembered.

"Please. Can't we just...?"

"Sakura, no. I know you don't like this and I'm sorry I have to do it, but it's my only choice. If I had another option, I would take it."

"Then why not get Ino or someone else to do it?" Sakura asked.

"You know as well as me Ino is living with Shikamaru. No. You're my only choice, and I can't change that. I'm sorry."

Frowning, Sakura stood up abruptly and left the room, closing the door with a snap. Sighing, Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

"You better go after her if you don't want to live on the streets," Tsunade said. She heard an annoyed sigh and footsteps leading to the door.

"I'm sorry Sakura. I know this hurts you, but I need you to do this. It's for your own good as well."

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**Finished. Thank goodness.**

**Ja ne!**


	3. My new 'temporary' home

**Eh…not in the mood to return to school…oh well. I'm just going to update this before I have to go….**

**Thanks for all of the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't' own Naruto. **

Storming out of the Hokage tower, Sakura stopped for a moment before walking off in another direction. Behind her, Sasuke moved faster to catch up, a scowl present on his never cheerful face.

"Trying to get rid of me?" he questioned as Sakura began to speed ahead. He just walked in pace with her.

"Well as you can see I'm exactly jumping for joy with you staying at my house." She growled. Pedestrians from the streets watched curiously. Mutters could be heard and Sakura's annoyance grew. "Do you need anything before we get to my apartment?" she asked.

Frowning, Sasuke answered. "It would be nice if I could get some clothes. I really don't have anything besides this." He motioned at his current clothes. The overly large white shirt, baggy pants and the damn purple bow which would be burned.

With a sigh, the girl redirected her current path towards a store that held everything from plain street clothes to ninja gear.

She walked in, and glanced around. A few shoppers were walking around. Sasuke came up behind her and also looked around.

Shelves and racks of clothes littered the room. Different assortment of styles and colors were displayed. "Let's make this quick." Sakura said and began to sort through clothes.

"What size are you?" she asked. Of course she didn't know what kinds of clothes he liked, but she was just trying to find a few things and go. He didn't seem to be much of a shopper. Sasuke seemed more of the type of guy to have his girlfriend pick out the clothes and he would just give a grunt of approval or a grunt of disapproval.

"30, 34." He mumbled and watched as she shuffled through pairs of faded jeans. Sasuke wasn't one for jeans, but still, he never really wore them before, so he couldn't say in all honestly if he liked them or not. He just walked over to find some new ninja gear he could use to train in. That is…if he was ever let out to train.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakrua watched as Sasuke disappeared to the ninja part of the store. He should realize he wouldn't be needing them too often. She was sure he would only need it for training, and she couldn't say how much training time he would get.

Picking out shirts, that looked like they would fit him, she couldn't help but think of what would happen. She still wasn't thrilled about what would be happening. Her apartment was small and she only had one bedroom. Sakura hoped Sasuke liked to sleep on couches. Even if he didn't she still didn't care. She wasn't giving up her bed and no way would they be sharing any time soon.

Picking out some dark blue and black flannel pants, Sakura decided that what she grabbed would be enough. Shirts, normal t-shirts and a few button up shirts, as well as some jeans and shorts for him. Man, she felt like his mother.

Coming up behind the dark haired man she mumbled, "You better have money." None of her hard earned money would be going for something of his. He could buy his own clothes.

"I've got it." As the two walked to the register, the blonde haired girl behind it aimlessly blew a bubble with her blue bubble gum and looked up. Her half-lidded eyes widened.

"U-Uchiha…Sasuke?" she whispered. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned around while folding his arms over his chest. He could feel her amber eyes boring holes in his back. He should have expected girls to recognize him. Couldn't they all just hate him like Sakura seemed to?

Maybe Sakura was just playing. Maybe she was just pretending to hate him, and when they got to her house she would jump him? Sasuke shuddered.

"Yeah it's him, now could you hurry this up. I really need to go." Sakura said non to nicely. Looking over at the peeved girl, Sasuke gave a small smirk. Her temper was just the same, if not worse.

After ending the glaring match between herself and the girl from the store, Sakura walked away and proceeded down the road. "Sorry to burst your bubble," she started, not really knowing if Sasuke was listening or not. "But I need to stop by the store to pick up some things. I personally don't care but I don't think shishou would be pleased if you ended up starved to death."

Was it just him, or was her tone of voice terribly cold towards him. In truth, Sasuke had always thought if he came back, she would be warm and clingy to him. All she seemed to want to do was put distance between them.

"Whatever." Was his response which caused her to give an annoyed growl.

After making it into the store, Sakura grabbed a basket and walked off. Sasuke rolled his eyes and followed the pink haired girl. She roamed through the isles, looking for what she wanted and not knowing what Sasuke would like. She thought back on all of the foods he ate before he left.

Lots of tomatoes and no sweets. Just for that she would buy plenty of candy.

After picking up some instant ramen, a habit she had gotten into after spending time with Naruto, Sakura proceeded down a new isle, looking through a selection of cereal. Her favorite, fruit loops with marshmallows, resided on the top shelf.

Damn her shortness. She reached up to grab a box, but her hand barely grazed it. Muttering a string of curses, she continued to get the box, but it was hopeless.

An arm moved past her and grabbed the box, taking it down from the shelf and placed it in the basket. Looking up, jade met onyx. Sasuke had gotten the box down. Lowering her head, she spilled out a quick "Thanks."

Walking away, thinking she would follow, the Uchiha muttered "Chibisuke" under his breath.

She heard it though. "Did you just call me short!?" she hollered, ignoring the looks and rushed after the smirking boy.

After a quick checkout, the two walked down the street in silence. Sasuke with his bag of clothes, Sakura with the bags of groceries. Her apartment made its appearance in the distance and all Sakura wanted to do was flop down on her bed a rest.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

Sakura froze as the words rang through the air. Sakura didn't have to turn around to see who the person was. She already knew. Sasuke however turned around to see a boy, waving frantically at them. He had long, blue-green hair that was held back in a ponytail. A pair of glasses shielded his hazel eyes, and a goofy grin was placed on his face.

Looking back at the frozen girl Sasuke asked, "You know him?" he sounded a bit too smug. Like he was amused or something.

"Is he coming this way?" she asked her voice quiet. Sasuke looked back and gave her a nod.

"Sakura-chan I've been looking for you!" Sakura's eye twitched. She still never turned around.

"Let's go!" she hissed at Sasuke. Dark eyes gave her a questioning look.

"Why?" he asked. The kid didn't seem to pose any sort of threat. Sakura seemed petrified though.

"It doesn't matter! I said let's go!" Grabbing a hold of Sasuke wrist, Sakura dragged him from their spot and down the road.

"What the…unhand me!" Sasuke protested.

Behind them, hazel eyes watched as his love interest ran off, dragging another man with her. His head fell in defeat. Sakura would never talk to him…ever.

"Who was that?" Sasuke asked as he rubbed his wrist. When had Sakura become that powerful?

"His name is Kai. He's a fan boy, and he's like…ten times worst than Lee." Sakura breathed out. She unlocked the door and pushed Sasuke in. Taking a look down the street, she noticed that Kai hadn't followed and shut the door before locking it.

Sasuke looked around and took in his new surroundings. He could tell right away the place was small. Perfect for one person. It didn't seem too lively, but there was a comforting feeling to it. A squishy looking white couch sat in the middle of the room facing a TV. A glass coffee table separated the TV and couch.

Pictures were strung from the walls. The smiling faces of the people he used to work side by side with watched him as he moved. It made him feel uneasy. Sasuke walked over to a desk and found a picture. He had a copy of this picture, as did Naruto and Kakashi.

It was the picture of the first team 7. With Kakashi's hidden smile, Naruto's glare, his own uncaring face, and Sakura…the old Sakura. The cheerful one. Much different then the one who had just entered the kitchen.

But there was a picture next to this one. A more recent one. He recognized the first three people, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura. But then there were two others. He knew he'd seen them. It was during the first encounter he and Sakura and Naruto had after those two and a half years.

He obviously couldn't put a name on them. He was curious. Picking the picture up, he followed in Sakura's footsteps and entered the kitchen to find the medic-nin putting the food away.

"Who are they?" he questioned. Sakrua turned around, a bit shocked and noticed the picture in his hand. She didn't answer right away.

"….Sai and Yamato." She answered briefly. Waiting to hear him question her more, she resumed her task and placed her ramen cups in the cabinet.

"Ok, but who are they?" he asked again. With a sigh, she turned around.

"Sai became part of our team as a…or, well after you left." She didn't know why, but she couldn't say that Sai was his replacement. It was true, but the words didn't form correctly.

"And Yamato was an old ANBU teammate of Kakashi's. He also became our temporary leader, when Kakashi was away." She stated. Sasuke looked back down at the picture. Kakashi and Yamato were smiling behind the three kids. Naruto and Sakura seemed to be shooting a glare and this 'Sai' person who gave the smallest hint of a smirk.

He couldn't help but notice something. _'This Sai guy kind of looks like me.' _

"Sai isn't one of the friendliest of people, but you can't really blame him." Sakura continued. "He was in an organization called ROOT. They basically stripped him of emotions, so he isn't very intellectual in the 'feelings' department."

Sasuke set the picture down on the kitchen table and took a seat. Sakrua now opened the fridge. "If you want anything, feel free to get it." She said. She sounded either very bored or very tired.

Sakura threw the bags that held the groceries away and moved from the kitchen to the living room. Sasuke followed, not knowing where else to go.

"I'm afraid to say you're going to be awfully bored while you're here." She said, plopping down on the couch and taking one of the big soft pillows in her arms. She pulled her feet up onto the couch.

"I'm never really home. I'm either working at the hospital or training." She said. Sasuke had taken a seat on the other side of the couch. His eyes continued to linger around the room. Neither spoke, and the silence was somewhere between uncomfortable and weird.

Knowing he wouldn't say anything, Sakura spoke up. "I've only got one room. So you're going to have to live on the couch for a bit." The boy didn't say anything but gave a small shrug. Sakura was afraid of this. Part of the reason she didn't want him to come, was in fear of finding out he hadn't changed.

And he hadn't.

He was still cold, and seemingly heartless. Some kind of warmth would have been nice. A small smile or some reassurance that he was different.

But that was too much to hope for apparently. She bit her bottom lip. The silence was too much, and she hurriedly grabbed the remote off of the coffee table. Why couldn't she have stayed at the hospital? It would have better there. Sakura would have rather had treated a deathly ill person, than sit here with a silent Uchiha.

As soon as the TV was turned on though, the door was burst open.

"Teme! Your back!" was shouted. A tall blonde boy, with blue eyes and whiskers was gawking at his long lost teammate.

"Hn." Sasuke gave a smirk. "Dobe."

Naruto was Sakura's savior at that moment.

**Hope you liked. Review please!**


	4. The Physical

**I'm back with a new chap! Hope you all enjoy…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…**

"Teme! When the hell did you get back!?" an overexcited blonde strode into the room and looked at his old teammate and best friend with wide blue eyes. He couldn't believe that Sasuke was sitting right there in front of him.

"Hn. Dobe, still as loud as ever." Sasuke joked. The smirk on his face was just the same as it was when they were twelve.

"What the hell? Why didn't anyone tell me you came back! When…where…why?" Naruto just gawked at the dark boy and waited for an answer. Sasuke didn't say a word.

Naruto's mouth began to run. Sakura was terribly happy to have someone else…a loud someone at that to break the silence.

"So…did you complete your goal? Is Itachi dead? How did you do it? Was it hard?" Sasuke still didn't answer. His smirk turned into a frown.

"Were you planning on coming back?" Sakura's head suddenly moved as she watched Sasuke's face. Dark eyes shifted over at her from her sudden movements. "Are you going to stay?"

Sakura and Naruto both waited for answers. Sasuke knew he would be bugged until he said anything and shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I'm really wanted here."

Sakura felt something flow through her. She could feel the frustration and anger towards Sasuke return rather quickly. Her eyes narrowed as she looked away from the boy and at the floor. How could he say that? She and Naruto wouldn't have looked so hard for him if they didn't want him back!

She silently stood and walked to her bedroom. Naruto watched her back and felt a pang in his chest. He could tell she was either hurt or angry. Probably both. His sympathetic eyes followed her until she disappeared into her room.

Sasuke had been watching her leave as well, and wondered why she had suddenly got up and left. Did he say something wrong? Whatever.

Sakura looked at her welcoming bed. It would be nice to have a good nights rest for once, but she knew that wouldn't happen. She couldn't help but think of the rushed events. How everything was pushed onto her all of a sudden. It made her mind go fuzzy. To much stuff to think of.

But how could Sasuke say that? Honestly! She had wanted him back for so long. But she just couldn't feel as overjoyed as she thought she would feel. Her heart jumped whenever she looked at him, but half of the jump was from anger. The man left her on a bench for Kami sake!

With a sigh, Sakura buried her head in the pillow. She could feel reality fall around her. She hoped it had been a dream, nothing but a dream. But the other part told her…no it can't be a dream. He's back…he can't leave us!

With a loud groan, Sakura's head shot up as her cell phone vibrated and danced across her bedside table. Her hand reluctantly reached up for the small silver phone and without so much as glancing at the number, Sakura flipped it open.

"Yes?" she answered, not meaning to sound so grumpy.

"Sakura-san. It's Lita. Tsunade-sama asked if you could come into the hospital today with Uchiha-san. She says that he needs to have a physical done for his medical records."

Oh Kami no. She didn't want to do this.

"Can't she have one of the other nurses do it?"

"I'm sorry but she requested that you do it." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Hai. I'll be there in a little bit." And before she got an answer, Sakura hung up the phone. Once again she buried her head into the pillow and just wanted to fall asleep.

"Sakura-chan?" Sakura grunted. She felt her bed shift as Naruto sat on the mattress.

"You ok?" he asked, worried for his friend. She nodded and picked her head up.

"I'm tired you know. Working at the hospital, and training with you guys and Tsunade-shishou." Naruto nodded and looked on at her with bright blue eyes. She had been working herself so hard.

"Why don't you rest Sakura-chan?" Naruto suggested. Sakura shook her head.

"Iie. I have to go to the hospital."

"Why?" Naruto asked curiously. Sakura began to stand and Sasuke appeared in the doorway.

"Because." She pointed at Sasuke. "Your coming too." She said and walked past him.

Sasuke turned around. "Why?" he asked, repeating Naruto's question.

"Because." Sakrua answered again, not going into detail. She grabbed her sandals and started to pull them on. "Tsunade-shishou wants us to come so we go."

A groan of complaint sounded from her room as Naruto came out. "I was going to have you guys come to Ichiraku with me!" He said.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "If you can sit still for a bit, then we'll go afterwards!"

**XxX**

The sterile aroma filled Sakura's senses as she entered the clean building. The hum of the air conditioners filled her ears while the bright fluorescent lights caused her to squint her eyes slightly.

One nurse sat behind the desk with a large stack of different colored papers that waited to be filed. Her sandy blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun as her fingers laced through some loose strands of her bangs. Sakura cleared her throat when she reached the counter.

The nurse looked up in surprise. "Oh! Sakura-san. Gomen." She apologized. "It's been a long day."

'_You have no idea.' _Sakrua thought but smiled anyways. Sakura knew the nurse. Her name was Hotaru and Sakura had worked with her a couple of times. She was very friendly, but very quiet. She reminded Sakura of Hinata.

"You're here with Uchiha-san ne?" Sakura nodded. Behind her, Sasuke stood his arms crossed over his chest. Naruto on the other hand was looking around anxiously.

"Ok." Hotaru shuffled through some files on the desk and then pulled out a small manila folder. The corners were slightly bent and it was ripped in a few places. "There are his old medical records and a new form was put in there."

Sakura nodded a thanks. "Room 3 has been kept open for you as well." Hotaru added in.

Sakura walked off into the waiting room where a few people occupied some of the chairs. A TV in the corner played the local news channel. "Naruto sit here for a bit and we'll be back. I don't have to stay since it's my day off, so once we're done we can go get some ramen." She informed him. He gave her an impatient nod as if to tell her not to take long.

The pink haired girl turned to Sasuke. "You come with me." She said and began to walk down a nearby hallway. She passed by two closed doors and stepped into the next open one. A silver 3 hung on the door.

Sasuke walked in after Sakura and stood there, not knowing what to expect. The girl was busy looking over something from the folder. Sakrua glanced over her shoulder and motioned towards the bed. Sasuke took the hint and sat on top, the stiff paper crackling underneath him.

Sakura finished looking over the papers in folder and turned around. A small scowl was on her face. She didn't want to be here. Not at all. She wanted to be at home, sleeping or at least resting. Tsunade gave her the day off, and then magically took it away from her.

The medic nin advanced to the door as her hand reached for the lock. She locked the door, and the sound rang through the silent room with a horror movie worthy clank.

Sasuke didn't seem too moved by the eerie noise, but he did shift uncomfortably. Sakura walked back over to him. "You are here," she started. "For a physical." Sasuke growled under his breath.

"Tsunade-sama wanted you to have it so we have updates on your medical status." She said. Sasuke glared at a chart that hung on the wall. All of a sudden the pale blue room seemed smaller and more uncomfortable.

"I don't want to do this as much as you want to. So let's just get this done with." She mumbled. "Now stand so I can get your weight and height." Sakrua pointed to a scale in the corner of the room.

After his sandals were removed, Sasuke stepped up onto the scale. Sakura shifted the small black knobs around. "62.1 kg (137 pounds)" Sakura took note of that on the new form papers.

"Turn around." She instructed. Not liking being bossed around, Sasuke couldn't help but give her a glare before doing what she asked.

She then measured his height. "180 cm (5 foot 11 inches)" After she marked that down as well, Sakrua made another motion for him to stand a few feet behind her. A chart hung on the wall with large letters that progressively grew smaller.

"Alright. Cover your right eye and read line 3." Sakura said. Sasuke covered his eye and his deep voice rasped out the letters he saw. "A, B, E, Z, G, G, I, K, E"

Sakura looked over the chart as he read the letters. "Good, read the next line."

"F. T, R, Y, E, C, D" Sasuke's bored tone rang through the room.

"Alright. And the next one." Sakura requested after she finished writing on the form.

"G, H, J, D, A, C, R, T, O, P"

Sakura looked abck at the chart as her brows furrowed. "Ok…you can put your hand down. Blink a couple times and when your ready cover your left eye and read from line 3 again."

Sasuke repeated the process, his letter generally the same except for a few letters. Sakura looked between the chart and Sasuke. The boy brought his hand down and glanced at Sakura. He gave her a questioning look.

"What?"

"Nothing. Ano…just sit on the table again." She said. Sakura jotted down some quick notes before turning back to the boy.

"Sasuke, how much have you been using the sharingan?" she asked. Sasuke shrugged.

"More than I should." He said. He was honest; she could give him points for that.

"It shows. I know you must have heard this, but you shouldn't overuse the sharingan. It can really damage your eyesight." Sasuke scoffed.

"Sit back and close your eyes." Sasuke did as he was told. Sakura then used her chakra to scan his eye sockets. The muscles, as far as she could tell, were a bit strained. They seemed a bit tense.

"Have your eyes been hurting you?' she asked as she pumped healing chakra through her fingers.

"No." Sasuke answered. He was still stuck on how Sakura was able to do this. Whatever she was doing felt nice. The tense feeling he was having in his eyes was slowly fading.

"Well, just take a break from using the sharingan. I feel like I'm talking to Kakashi." Sakura muttered the last part under her breath.

"Ok, sit up." She said. Sakura reached into one of the draws and pulled out a thermometer. After placing a plastic protectant around the thermometer, she held it in front of Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke just looked at it, his eyes crossing.

"Put it in your mouth." Sakrua said slowly, as if she was talking to an idiot. Sasuke glared yet again and pulled it from her hand. He slipped it under his tongue. Sakrua took hold of his wrist, her thumb over top of his vain to feel his pulse.

After a moment, the machine peeped and Sakrua removed it from Sasuke mouth. "97.9" she said quietly.

Sakura then reached for the blood pressure monitor that was hanging on the wall. She wrapped it around Sasuke muscular arm and pulled it tight. She pulled the stethoscope she had place around her neck on the junction above his elbow and began to inflate the strap. She listened to his heartbeat as she proceeded to inflate the strap.

Once she finished, she deflated the strap and put it away, taking down more notes.

After checking his reflexes, and more notes, Sasuke looked around the room, his small sigh giving the hint that he was bored.

"Ok, take off your clothes." Sakura said. Sasuke could have choked if he was eating or drinking something.

'_I knew she was going to do something to get me naked!' _Sasuke thought. He had a fleeting suspicion that Sakura would go all fan girl on him sometime.

When Sasuke didn't move, Sakura growled at him. "Today!"

Reluctantly, Sasuke stood and pulled his shirt off. Luckily Sakura had good control or else, she might have flipped. Although she did gulp a the exposure of his muscled stomach.

And then the pants slowly came off. Sasuke took them off slowly, shooting Sakura wary glances. She he slipped them off from around his ankles, Sasuke was left standing in his dark blue boxers.

Sakura couldn't help her wandering jade eyes though. She tried to look away. Why did this man have to be so sexy?

"Ok, lay back down on the table." She said. Her voice was a tiny bit higher than normal. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. He still had that affect on her huh?

As he laid back, the muscles on his stomach and chest flexed. Sakura wanted to die. Damn physical exam procedures.

Sakura walked up to the table and shakily placed her hands over his stomach as she transferred chakra to him. She checked over his vitals. Some scars from his previous fighting still stood out on his pale chest. Sakura could tell after checking him out that he was healing well.

Her hands moved downwards and a crimson hue washed over her as her hand continued to trail downwards. Sasuke just starred at the ceiling, ignoring the fact that Sakura's hands were that close to…

Her hands then trailed down his thighs and over his knees, then down over his calves. Sakura finished off checking his head status (no not insanity) and finished her notes.

After she flipped back through a couple pages, Sakrua said, "One more thing and we're down." Sasuke pulled his shirt over his head and looked at her.

"Which is…?"

"It's been a while since you've had your tetanus shot."

Sasuke just groaned.

**Omg! I can't believe I finished that! I really hope you liked this…please enjoy!**


	5. Emo boy

**I hope you are all enjoying this! School is officially over; even though I have like…7 tests to take…I have more time to type!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changed at all. **

After the painstaking 5 second shot, Sasuke rolled his sleeve back down and stepped off of the table. He was itching to leave, but knew he should wait for Sakura or receive an earful. After she finished her notes and all the folders in his file, she opened the door and led the way out.

"Sakura. I see you're done now." Tsunade said as she leant up against the wall outside the door. By the looks of it she had been waiting for her apprentice for a few minutes. Sakura moved out of the doorway and allowed Sasuke to pass. He stood next to her and looked at Tsunade. One of her hands was hidden, like she was trying to hide something.

"Go sit out in the waiting room Uchiha with the loud blonde that's been complaining and disturbing the peace. And shut him up too."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and hurried off. Sakura watched him go and sighed as she looked back up at her teacher.

"Does it hurt yet?" Tsunade asked Sakura as she watched the retreating Uchiha.

"Kills." Sakura mumbled. "What do you need anyways?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade's hand that was behind her back inched forward into view. Sakura looked curiously at the device in Tsunade's hand.

"Isn't that one of those ankle bracelets?"

"Yes. I need you to put this on Sasuke, so we can monitor him. He has to wear it when he's at your home." Tsunade places the anklet in Sakura's hand and reached into her pocket, revealing a small key.

"Here's the key to the lock. He will obviously be allowed to have it taken off when he leaves the house with supervision. He never gets the key. You keep the key, got it?"

Sakura nodded. "Hai, I got it." She said. Tsunade just gave a smirk.

"Have fun getting it on him." She said and turned around. Sakura paled at the words. Of course he wouldn't be willing to wear it. She could think of some way to get it on the boy.

"Sakura-chan let's go!" Naruto called as Sakura made her way into the waiting room.

"Baka. Keep your mouth shut." Sasuke growled. A few people gave the blonde annoyed looks as he shouted.

"Shush Naruto." Sakura said. She finished putting the anklet in her shruiken pouch, not wanting Sasuke to see it. He might not react so well. "You wanted ramen?" she asked.

"Yes! Let' go already!" He cried pulling a protesting Sakura out by the arm. The girl then grabbed Sasuke's arm, knowing she couldn't leave him and created a chain of people being pulled.

**XxX**

"Miso pork ramen old man!"

"Got it Naruto."

Green eyes watched in horror while the big mouth devoured its 7th bowl of ramen.

"Naruto if you ever die, I think this ramen stand will close down."

Sasuke even watched in amazement, though he didn't show it. How could this kid, even after all of these years, still be able to delve on so much ramen?

"Haha. I know I know. I can't help but love the stuff!" Naruto cheered. His smile only widened as a new bowl of steaming ramen was placed in front of him.

"How much can he take?" Sasuke asked to no one in particular. He was still on his first bowl and only half way done. Sakura had more than him even.

"I don't know." Sakura answered slowly. Watching him eat his ramen almost made her loose her appetite. She placed more noodles in her mouth. Almost.

"Trying to become even more of a pig Ugly?" Sakura stopped chewing immediately and glared into her bowl.

"I'm sorry Sai. You must have me mixed up with Ino-pig." Sakura hissed. The smirking boy ignored her comment and stepped into the ramen stand behind Sakura.

"I think I have all of my friends sorted perfectly." He teased. His dark eyes traveled off of her to a pair of similar curious eyes.

"And you might be?" Sai asked. He could have sworn he had seen this boy somewhere.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Sai's eyes widened. "So you're Sasuke. I've heard so much about you." He said in a monotone voice.

"Aa." That was all Sasuke said before he turned back to his ramen. Ever since he saw the boy in the picture he couldn't help but have a strange dislike towards him. The kid did replace him. Took his place. Now he would have to take it back. Great.

Sai didn't dwell on the matter and took a seat by Naruto. He ordered his ramen, and the rest ate in almost silence. Naruto's side comments went ignored.

"Naruto-kun." A soft voice sounded behind the group. Four heads turned to find Hinata walking up to the group. A faint red hue adorn her face when she received the stares.

"Hinata-chan! What are you doing out here? Your father actually let you leave by yourself?" Naruto questioned. A look of admiration came across his face at the site of the girl.

"Mhm. I told him I needed to do a bit of shopping." She said. Naruto spun around and slurped down him remaining ramen.

"Mind if I join you?" Naruto asked the girl. She shook her head.

"Of course not." She smiled. Naruto did as well and took her hand.

"I'll see you guys later!" he said and walked off with the blushing heiress. Sasuke watched them leave before turning back around.

"They're actually together?" he asked. Sakura nodded.

"Yes they are, but in secret. Hiashi didn't approve and still doesn't of Naruto. So they've been secretly dating for a while now."

"I never thought I'd see the day when the kid became really depressed." Sai added in. "He sobbed the whole story of Hiashi telling at him to Sakura and I overheard him. It was really pathetic. I always knew he never had any balls."

Sakura glared at Sai. "Yes. You're too kind. Anyways Neji's in on it and he's actually been helping them meet together."

"Cold hearted Hyuuga?" Sasuke said with a snort.

Sakura rolled hey eyes. "Yes, cold hearted Hyuuga. He's not really all that cold anymore. Not like some people." The last part was mumbled under her breath. She knew that Sasuke heard though.

Sai finished up his bowl of ramen and stood. "See you tomorrow at training Ugly. And nice meeting you Emo boy." With that, Sai walked into the busy streets and disappeared into the crowd.

"Emo boy?" Sasuke grumbled. Sakura was holding back her laughter.

"Sai has the tendency to give people nicknames on how he sees them at first glance." She said with a giggle. Sakura finished the last of her ramen and noticed Sasuke had finished as well.

"Let's get going. It's getting late." Sakura said and stood.

"Ahem."

Looking up, Sakura mentally slapped herself and cursed her friends. "Naruto and Sai both left without paying." She said. 8 extra bowls are not what she was expecting to pay. Plus hers and Sasuke's. Yes, she would be nice and pay for his as well.

"Kuso." She cursed and reached for her wallet in her shruiken pouch.

Her hand brushed over the anklet. Damn she had to figure out how to get that on Sasuke tonight. Leave it for later.

She took out her bills and placed almost all of them in the old man's hand. "Come again." He said chillingly. Sakura merely grumbled out a 'not for another 2 paychecks.'

**XxX**

Two eyes peeked out into the living room of the apartment. A dark haired boy lies sleeping on the couch, mouth open slightly. She snuck out, using her stealth skills to not make a sound, anklet in hand.

Sakura had decided that it was best to put the monitor on Sasuke at night, while he was asleep. He was sleeping now, but Sakura didn't know if he was a light sleeper or not.

Silently, she stalked over to the couch. Luckily she knew her living room and could maneuver around it in the dark. Moonlight filtered in the room and reflected on Sasuke's pale face. Sakura felt caught up, and her eyes lingered on his face for longer than she wanted.

Shaking her head, she returned to the task at hand and moved down towards his legs. She lifted the dark blue blanket she had given him hours ago to reveal one long smooth leg and part of his other one. Carefully, she slid the strap to the anklet underneath his one leg. His leg twitched slightly and Sakura almost screamed at the hand that came down to scratch the offended ankle.

Once he stopped, Sasuke rolled over onto his side, facing the back of the couch. Once again Sakura slid the strap under his leg and as quickly as she could brought the other side around.

The lock locked with a snap that echoed through the room. It must have been an initial reaction from Sasuke, because Sakura was then pinned on the couch underneath Sasuke. A situation she has had fantasies about.

"What are you doing?" the surprisingly alert voice of Sasuke asked. Sakura gulped.

"Putting a monitor on you. Tsunade-shishou wanted me to." She added in. It would be awkward if she was doing it for the hell of it. He might get ideas.

Sakura watched as the muscles on his naked chest moved as Sasuke sat up. He was sitting and playing around with the monitor. Sakura sat up and considered dashing off to her room.

"Why do I need this? Does she think I'm going to leave or something?"

"That's exactly why she wanted it on you." Sakura said.

Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh. Sakura couldn't help but think of one question that had been bugging her. It popped into her head after bringing up the subject of Sasuke leaving.

"I know this is random," she started. Sasuke's attention moved from the anklet to her. "Were you planning on coming back after you killed Itachi?"

The question hung in the air as well as silence. Sasuke never opened his mouth and averted his eyes to the blank page of the TV. Sakura sat on the edge of the couch and awaited his response. This had been eating away at her and she had to know.

With another sigh, Sasuke spoke.

"No."

**Ha! Another chappie done! Thank goodness! Two more tests and the summer is mine! Sweet!**


	6. Training

**Right when I'm about to post the new chapter, I get kicked off my AOL by my dear friend Rach. And I reward her with a new chapter. --'**

**Meh, sorry for the late update. I want you all to know that I am leaving on Saturday for a week in Arizona. Fun in the desert sun! So I won't be updating the week after that, but I will try to get as many updates for this story and my others this week. One more test!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…nor do I make any money from this fic!**

That one simple word seemed to hang in the air for quiet a while. Sakura didn't know how to react. She knew it was inevitable to hide the disappointment, but her anger towards the boy grew as well.

"And why would that be? Where else would you go?" she questioned. "What else do you have to do?"

Once again Sasuke returned to the ankle monitor and fidgeted with the strap. He didn't want to wear this thing and if he could figure out how to get it off he would. Looks like he needed a key.

"I told you already, it's not like I'm wanted here. No one wants someone who betrayed their home to live in it." Sasuke grumbled. He stopped messing with the monitor and laid back into the couch.

"What so Naruto, Kakashi, and I don't count? We didn't spend countless days, months, and years searching for you and never wanted you back! We tried so hard because we wanted you back in the village with us! But you, being yourself wouldn't come back to us and let us help you! Your too arrogant for that right?" her face was red with anger, but the darkness of the night shielded that fact.

"Hn. I had to leave and I couldn't use you to help me. Your one of the reasons I left." He said coldly. Sakura couldn't believe her ears. She gawked at the boy next to her. How could he say such harsh words and look so casual while he said them?

"Tell me. Tell me how I pushed you into leaving!" she urged. Sasuke closed his eyes and placed his hands behind his head.

"You showed me exactly why I shouldn't stay. I would never get stronger here. I would be weaker than I am now."

Emerald eyes glared at Sasuke. "Are you calling me weak?" she inquired. The dark boy just shrugged.

"Maybe."

"Uh! Bastard!" With quick speed Sakura's hand reached out to smack the boy. Chakra pumped furiously into her palm. But Sasuke was faster and he grabbed her wrist before she could hit him.

"I'm faster than you too." he said smugly. The same old smirk played on his face as he let go of the infuriated girl's wrist.

"Shut it Sasuke." She said firmly and stood from the couch, stomping back to her room.

Her door was closed with a snap. Sasuke rolled his eyes and rested his head on his pillow, hoping to catch up on more sleep before the morning sun came up.

Day one with his new 'roommate' was complete. He could only wonder how he was to survive who knows how long with her. He would either die of insanity, or the Konoha police would walk in one morning to find murder. And Sakura probably wouldn't be the dead one.

**SxS**

"How long does it take one man to wake up and get to training on time?"

A loud blonde paced along the red bridge as he awaited his ex-teacher now teammate to show up. Although Kakashi wasn't their teacher anymore, he was still in charge of the group and gave the orders.

Sakura shook her head and rubbed her tired eyes. After the whole problem with Sasuke, she didn't get back to sleep.

Sai was leaning on the bridge, opposite Sasuke and Sakura, sketch pad out and a pencil in hand, moving gracefully across the paper.

It was only ten minutes later, approximately an hour and a half after the set meeting time when a poof of smoke and a greeting of 'yo' came into the scene.

"Kakashi-sensei you're late!" Naruto accused. He pointed a finger at the older jonin and glared.

"You can never count on the scarecrow to show up on time." Sai said plainly. She closed his sketch book and turned to the group.

"Thanks for the help Sai." Kakashi said flatly. Sai waved off the comment.

"Sure."

"Well, anyways. It looks like we have a new member. Or rather, a returning old member." Kakashi said too cheerfully. He observed the group. "Though it doesn't seem that our team is as close as it could be." He said as he noted the separation the team member placed between each other, save for Sakura and Naruto who were close by each other.

"I guess we'll have to work out that issue. For now, sparring so I can see how your skills are developing. I'm sure you've been working hard on your own besides normal training with me." Kakashi mused. Sakura frowned.

"Save for the fact that some of us have jobs!" she added in. Not like it mattered. She wouldn't expect Kakashi to care that she was being overworked.

"Well, yes that's true. But working at the hospital is like training. Your honing your skills are you not?"

Sakura glared at the presumably smiling man in front of her. Sure she has grown fond of her former teacher, and developed a kind of friendly love towards him, but sometimes she felt like punching him in the face. Like now. His hand was going for his pouch. Sometimes she felt like breaking his hands as well. She didn't think that would stop him from reading his porn in front of them though.

"We'll pair up and have mini spars against each other. I'll observe you all and tell you when to switch partners."

And by 'observe' the whole group knew it was reading and calling for the group to switch at random times when he remembered.

Instantly Sakura clung to Naruto. The blonde knew she wanted to spar against him, and blow the other two off. He also knew that they would have to switch and she would be reluctant.

Sakura though wanted to spar against Naruto and Sai before she went after the Uchiha. She planned on going easy on the first two, needing to save her energy then going all out on Sasuke. He really needed someone to give him a good kick in the ass.

Naruto took the hint and went easy on the girl as well, knowing what she wanted to do and also wanting to save energy for kicking the Uchiha's ass.

The time flew by though and just as Sakura threw one last shruiken at Naruto, Kakashi called time and told them to switch partners. In the distance, Sakura could have sworn she heard the roar of a tiger and presumed it was one of Sai's as it disappeared.

She walked over to the direction were the roar echoed and found Sai and Sasuke glaring at each other. Sasuke looked perfectly fine, as if he didn't fight at all, while it was noticeable that Sai was breathing slightly harder and adorned a few cuts.

"You're not that bad Emo boy." Sai breathed. Sasuke growled at the nickname and walked off to his next opponent. Sakura walked by him, never glancing at him to show him she wasn't fighting him yet.

Sai rubbed the back of his head as Sakura approached him. "Emo boy's tougher than I thought." He said. Sakura nodded and watched Sasuke begin to fight against Naruto. Judging by how they are acting towards each other and their history together, they would be breaking up a death match.

"We're going to have to keep an eye on those two. They are most likely going to attempt to kill each other." Sakura said as she watched several clones of Naruto appear.

"Rivals?" Sai suggested and received a nod.

"Always have been, always will be. Now let's get going before Kakashi decides to use his 'thousand years of death' on us."

**SxS**

"RASENGAN!"

"CHIDORI!"

Sweatdrop. That was Sakura's reaction as she heard those shouts. It's been years since she has heard then both together going after each other.

Sakura stopped in the middle of going to punch Sai, and Sai's hand froze on his katana's handle.

"The idiot and emo are really trying to kill each other huh? Guess you were right Ugly." Though Sakura had stopped mid punch, she found it in her to continue and punched Sai square in the face.

She gave him a harsh glare. "I told you not to call me that." She threatened and heard the call of Kakashi calling the boy off. She knew she had to help and dragged a bleeding Sai with her.

"Both of you stop!" Kakashi yelled, now thoroughly pissed off. They must not have listened to him before, and they weren't starting to. Kakashi was holding Sasuke back, while trying to fend Naruto away.

"You bastard!" Naruto yelled as he continued to charge at Sasuke. Sasuke struggled against Kakashi. They were of equal power and Kakashi started to struggle.

Sakura ran to them and noticed the situation. She saw Kakashi attempting to hold the two off and ran to hold Naruto back. She molded her chakra and took hold of the kyuubi vessel. With her perfect chakra control, her strength matched Naruto's, and seemed to overpower him slightly. She was able to keep him in place. Sai stood back until he was motioned by Kakashi for help and went to help restrain the Uchiha.

"Naruto stop it." Sakura said firmly as she continued to hold onto the struggling boy.

"Not after all of the shit he's been saying. Bastard! He deserves it!" Naruto yelled and slipped an arm out from Sakura's arms and reached for Sasuke. Sakura pulled him backwards.

"Well sorry for trying to explain things to you! You just can't except what I say!" Sasuke roared back. He was now easily restrained with two of the guys holding him back. He was in very slight awe at how Sakura was able to keep Naruto at bay by herself.

"Your sick you know that! I can't believe you! If that's what you want to do, maybe you should just leave this place!"

Sakura's grip loosened. "What did he say Naruto?" She asked in a softer tone.

The blonde's struggling died down at the gentleness of her voice. "Nothing Sakura." He said while shooting a glare at Sasuke, who also stopped his struggling. Kakashi and Sai still held their grip like Sakura, incase they broke loose and went after each other.

"Tell me Naruto." She said loudly. Her eyes were narrowed as she stared at the dark haired Uchiha. Naruto began to struggle again.

"You don't need to know. After what he did, I can't let him hurt you again! I know how you feel, but he doesn't get it nor does he care. He won't hurt you again as long as I'm alive!" Sakura purposely let her grip loosen. Maybe she should just let Naruto go to…

"Sakura don't! Don't let him go!" Kakashi shouted to the pink haired girl.

Sakura didn't listen as her grip continued to loosen.

"Sai!" Kakashi said and the boy took the hint and rushed over to Sakura, taking a hold on Naruto. Kakashi knew that these two really did want to hurt each other, and badly at that.

"Naruto calm down. Training is over for today." Kakashi confirmed and he roughly pulled on Sasuke arm, earning a harsh growl from the abused. "Sakura, come with me, I'm taking you and Sasuke back to your home. Sai make sure Naruto gets home."

Sai nodded and tugged at Naruto, who was glaring daggers at Sasuke, as well as Kakashi. He pulled his arm away from Sai.

"I don't need supervision like _some_ people. I won't run off from my home!" he shouted behind him. Sai was in shock of the events and followed a dangerously pissed off Naruto from a safe distance.

Sakura reluctantly followed behind Kakashi, who still had a death grip on Sasuke.

"This is going to be so much fun." Kakashi said sarcastically with a sigh.

**Hope you enjoyed! See you all next chapter!**


	7. Help from a friend

**Eh…I'm leaving tomorrow, and I know I should be packing, but here…I'm being nice!**

**Anyone live in Arizona? Is it really all that hot…I'm flying into Phoenix and staying in Scottsdale. **

Kakashi was terribly angry, though he didn't show it as much as most people. His face was rather stony but his mask hid his expression. He dragged the lone Uchiha down the road, not knowing what he was going to do with him or Sakura.

Sasuke was terribly pissed and it was all too obvious. His face was flushed with anger and he kept giving a tug at his arm that Kakashi still had a hold of. He was also slightly embarrassed of being dragged through the village like a child by his former teacher.

Then there was Sakura who was angry and terribly curious as to what Sasuke said to Naruto. She was timidly following the two in front and at the same time planning on making the Uchiha explain things to her.

They reached the front door to Sakura's home. "Sakura." Kakashi said, sounding a bit harsher than he meant to. Sakura snapped out of her dreamland and went back into reality.

"What? Oh! Sorry." She said and rushed to open the door. This pissed off Kakashi was a bit more frightening than normal, and she didn't like it. Heh, it was Sasuke's fault anyways. Everything was his fault.

The door was pushed open and Kakashi gave Sasuke a gentle shove inside and walked in behind him. They needed…a team talk. "Sit down." He growled and rubbed his aching head. Kakashi had known that there would be problems when he was informed of Sasuke's return. After he observed his ex-students over the years, he had debated whether they would welcome him with open arms, or push him away. He had always leaned towards them pushing him away, and it seems he was correct.

Normally Kakashi didn't get this angry, but some times called for a bit of anger to set people straight. Sasuke had always needed to be set straight, though the dark kid would never listen. Kakashi looked at the deeply frustrated boy in front of him and sighed.

Sakura sneaked out of the room and into her own bedroom, only to emerge with the ankle monitor. Sasuke gave a loud sigh and rolled his eyes. Sakura could only glare as she advanced towards him. "It's not my decision ok! Get over it and live!"

"You don't have to put that thing on me. No on will know the difference if it's on me or not."

"Trust me they will." Sakura said as she attempted to put the monitor on him. He stubbornly moved his leg away from her. With all the anger she could muster, Sakura gave him a cold glare.

"Just do it!" she shouted.

"Hn." Sasuke said as he continued to avoid her.

"Come on, Kakashi!"

Kakashi stood and helped Sakura. He grabbed Sasuke's ankle and held it still long enough for Sakura to put the monitor on him. He shook his head as he sat down in the chair next to the couch.

"I won't be here every time to help you Sakura." He informed the girl who walked away and into the kitchen.

"I know I get that! If he didn't have to be so damn stubborn! Stupid jackass!" she mouthed back and returned to the room with a bottle of water, too frustrated to offer any to the others. She sat on the couch angrily, far away from Sasuke.

"I can tell none of you are getting along, and I believe I'll have to have a group therapy session. If we can't get things to flow smoothly, I'll have to get Tsunade involved, and most likely, the four of you will be separated onto different teams."

Sasuke remained unmoved, but Sakura's reaction was just the opposite.

"I don't want to be on a different team though. Make him go!" she said and pointed to Sasuke. "I don't want to be moved from Naruto's team. And I can tolerate Sai."

"Well if you want to stay as a team, the four of you, not three, four will have to learn to get along. We can't carry out missions like this."

"Like we'll get to go on missions! Someone is banned from missions!" Sakura shouted back in her defense. Sasuke growled. He really wished that there was somewhere he could go and escape from these two. He just wanted to be left alone, but he was also expecting interrogation from Sakura when Kakashi left. And his plan, just tell her the truth, just like he did with Naruto. At least this girl wouldn't be able to kill him.

"I know Sakura, just please try and calm down. I'm sure you'll be fine now. Keep on eye on him and ask for help if you need it. I know how stubborn you can be." Kakashi gave her a stern look that she returned with a small pout. Sakura heard the door close behind Kakashi and immediately turned to Sasuke.

"What did you say to him!" she demanded hotly. Her jade eyes flashed angrily.

"Why do you care so much?" Sasuke retorted.

"Because I do! You don't need an explanation! Now tell me!" Her cheeks were flushed red and her blood was boiling.

"I told him of my plans after I killed my brother. How I wasn't planning on returning and how I was going to find someone to help me rebuild my clan with."

Sakura could have sworn her heart stopped. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open. Her throat went dry and she took a deep chug from her water bottle. Sasuke avoided looking at the girl and his scowl deepened. "See why you didn't need to know. I figured you would act like this. You're still not over me huh? Pathetic."

Those words hurt more than ever. She promised herself she wouldn't get upset because of him. She said she wouldn't allow him to make her cry. She cried silently at night sometime, but she didn't cry too often. And she was afraid that her crying habit might pick up again. She couldn't.

A tear slid down her cheek.

Damnit. Sasuke gave a small smirk and crossed his arm over his chest.

Sakura could only gawk at him more. How could he do that?

"How can you do that? You don't care about anyone else huh? I thought, hoped that you would have changed somehow. But you're still the biggest asshole I've come to meet. Hell Sai is better than you and all he does is insult me! Why!?"

"Why what?" Sasuke snapped harshly.

She glared again and felt more tears flow down her cheeks. She hastily brushed them away, wishing they would stop flowing. "Why do you hate me? For so long, and even now! Why do you hate me Sasuke!?" she shouted.

The Uchiha felt very uncomfortable. He wanted to leave and considered it for a moment. "You were the reason I left." He murmured. He said he would tell her the truth and he was.

"W-what do you mean?" she said in a softer tone. She was close to taking off to her bedroom and locking it. Maybe she could escape through her window or something.

"I mean, you showed me why I shouldn't stay. I would have never gotten stronger if I stayed in the village. I had to leave, I needed power. I wouldn't have been able to kill Itachi otherwise. I barely killed him as it is."

"You are a horrible, horrible person you know that! You're selfish, inconsiderate, arrogant, and just…horrible! I can't believe I ever liked you! Why!? Kami, why am I so stupid! And why you? Why do you so this to me!?" she shouted to the boy, causing him to move away.

It was the reaction he was expecting and, although it was a bit worse. Had he really hurt her that bad? Oh well, she would have to get over it. Although he felt some pang of guilt inside of him. But it was gone quickly. He opened his onyx eyes in time to see the girl rush to her bedroom and close her door with a sharp snap. Sasuke sighed and lied back on the couch. She would calm down and ignore him for a few days, something he really didn't mind.

He could hear her soft voice. Was she talking to herself? Had she gone crazy over the years as well? The sound of a loud bang made him really think she went off the rocker. Was she throwing some kind of temper tantrum as well?

After a loud muffled scream of Sakura shouting into her pillow, there was silence for a good ten minutes.

Until the door opened too reveal one pissed off Yamanaka Ino.

"Great, another old fangirl to get on my case." Sasuke said.

"Yeah you better believe it mister!" Ino hissed as she stormed right past Sasuke, much to his delight. She knocked on Sakura's door and confirmed it was her.

"You ok?" Ino asked sympathetically as she popped her head in the door. She found Sakura glaring angrily at the ceiling. Her pink haired girl furiously wiped away a tear drop and nodded.

"I'm sorry you got stuck with him." Ino said as she took a seat on Sakura's bed.

"If he wasn't such an ass…"

"I know Sakura. I'm glad I'm over him and you better get off the Sasuke train while you still can. Luckily I got off in time and on a different train." Ino said. She crawled over the bed and lied down on the other side.

"I don't think I can do it. I keep telling myself to get over him, I have for years and look where's it's gotten me! I don't have any interest in other guys and I hate myself because I'm stuck on him. I try to ignore him…but when I see him…" Sakrua groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, her head buried in her pillow.

"I know we've had our rivalries, but I'm still your best friend. And I'm supposed to support any choice of yours. Do you want me to talk to him?" Ino asked.

Sakura shook her head no.

"Will you be alright though? I can hang around for awhile to cut the tension between you two."

"Please?"

"Of course. Shikamaru was sleeping anyways, so it's not like he'll miss me."

Sakura giggled and sat up. "Thanks Ino."

"Of course. Now, do you have any frosted animal crackers? And pickles. I really want a pickle as well." Ino said and walked out of the room to the kitchen. Sakura watched her friend go and stared curiously out the door.

As Ino passed by Sasuke, she gave him a cold glare even though his eyes were closed. "You're a jackass, you know that!" she yelled at him. He didn't flinch, or open his eyes.

"I've been informed." He said passively.

"Yea, well apparently it doesn't make a difference." Ino said as she raided Sakura's fridge. She smiled brightly as she noticed a jar of pickles sitting on the top shelf. She grabbed three. Then she went through the cabinets and pouted when she didn't find what she wanted.

"Sakura where are your animal crackers!" Ino hollered through the house. Sasuke physically winced at the banshee like voice of the blonde girl. She was still loud, and most likely annoying.

Sakura emerged from her room and made her way to the kitchen. She looked at Ino who was shuffling her foods around. It was at that moment that Sakura barely noticed her friend was a tiny bit pudgier than normal.

"Well, do you have any pistachios? Or some pistachio ice-cream. Or pistachio pudding?" Ino asked as she munched down on a pickle.

Sakura's brows furrowed as she grabbed her friends arm and dragged her away with a protest of 'hey!'

When they were safe in Sakura's room, Sakura shut the door and ushered her friend to the bed and sat her down.

Ino started on her second pickle. "What?" she asked with a growl. Sakura continue to stare.

"I'm not a medic nin for nothing. I've been trained to notice changes in people. And Ino…are you pregnant?"

The pickle in Ino's mouth fell to the floor.

**Are you all happy now? No more updates…that's final! See you in a week!**

**Ja ne! **


	8. Team Time

**I'm back everyone! Arizona was great but I was ready to come home after like…four days! I wanted to type soooo badly! I stole the computer and I'm typing in my room so I can complete a couple chapters! Hope you enjoy and thank you all for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_**Rach please call me if you get the chance!**_

Last Time!

"_I'm not a medic nin for nothing. I've been trained to notice changes in people. And Ino…are you pregnant?"_

_The pickle in Ino's mouth fell to the floor._

"W-why do you say that Sakura?" Ino asked as she gave a curious look at her friend. Sakura gave her a worried look.

"Have you felt…sick or anything? Tired…abnormal? Any weird food cravings?"

"W-well. I've been getting sick a few times. But maybe it's just some kind of sickness. Like the stomach bug or something. And my food cravings aren't that bad."

"Ino you asked me for a pickle." Sakura said. She moved and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. Ino lied back across the end of the bed.

"So? I just really wanted a pickle! You have a problem with that!?" Ino half yelled as she glared at her friend.

Sakura's brows creased as she frowned. "Please. Why don't we just do a test to be sure? It's for the best right?" Sakura mentioned. Ino seemed to be in thought and didn't answer for a few moments. Sakura didn't push for an answer. Whatever Ino said, she was going to go out and get a pregnancy test anyways.

"Fine. We'll do a test." Ino decided and sat up. Her blue eyes were glazed with worry and she began to chew on her thumb nail.

"Good." Said Sakura who stood and began to walk out of the room. She smiled at Ino and offered her a hand up. Ino took her hand and the two girls began to chat quietly as they walked out into the living room where Sasuke was lying on the couch, eyes closed, ignoring the hushed words.

"What if you are pregnant? It will be so exciting!" Sakura said as they moved across the room and past Sasuke.

"I don't know. I mean, I'm young and I'm not married and…and…I hope I'm not. It's too much responsibility for someone like me. Especially a ninja!"

Sakura nodded her head. That was understandable. Being a mother was hard enough, but being a mother with a job where you life expectancy was impossible to calculate was even harder. She would never know what to do if she ended up pregnant. But she was smart enough not to.

The girls finished putting their shoes on and Sakura opened the door and Ino walked out, Sakura behind her.

Sasuke had a smirk on his face as he opened is onyx eyes. He was counting down in his head. Sakura couldn't really be that stupid to leave him here by himself right? No matter how much she hated her job, she wasn't one to abandon it.

3.

She must be running back by now.

2.

Sasuke could see her face flushed with embarrassment.

1.

The door was jammed open and Sakura ran through the door, her face slightly red. She had a sheepish grin on her face as she gazed down at Sasuke, who hadn't moved an inch.

"I hate you." She said as Sasuke smirked up at her. She glared and released a sigh. Ino came charging back in after her.

"What's wrong forehead? Did you forget something?" she asked. Sakura shook her head.

"Ino, stay here with Sasuke. I'm sure you're capable. No one would mess with a pregnant woman. Especially you. Besides, I want to get a few things from the store and I know which test works the best, so I can get it, rather than put you through a hassle."

Ino gave Sakura a simple glare and pouted. She walked over to the couch and shoved Sasuke's legs roughly off the side of the couch and received a nasty glare from him, which she returned with full vigor.

"You better not take long!" Ino growled and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I know, I'll be back as fast as I can!" Sakura said back as she took off out the door.

"And get me some chocolate covered pretzels!" the blonde hollered.

There was a moment of silence and Sasuke surprisingly broke it.

"You're pregnant?" he asked in a snotty tone. It sounded as though he was surprised anyone would want to be with her.

"You better shut your mouth or I'll take over your spirit and do something you'll hate." She threatened and went for the TV remote.

"What could you possibly do?" He said with a snort.

"I know where Sakura keeps her nail polish and make-up."

**XxX**

Sakura returned only twenty minutes later and found Ino sitting anxiously on the couch and Sasuke no where in sight.

"Where is he Ino?" Sakura asked with a slightly panicked tone. The blue eyed girl jumped a bit and looked up at the medic nin.

"I don't know. I was talking for a while and I think he got tired of it. He stood up and went into your room. I didn't bother following him."

Sakura paled at these words. He was in her room? No! He couldn't be in there! She had…things in there! Plus the key to the monitor! That was in there too!

Quickly Sakura dashed through the living room and into her mint green bedroom, only to find the boy sleeping on her bed. The ankle monitor was still on him and he seemed to be in a nice doze. She breathed a major sigh of relief and quietly closed the door. Normally she would have freaked and kicked him out, but she didn't want to wake him up. She wanted him to stay asleep for a long time. Better than seeing his scowling face all day.

"I'll leave him. And once he wakes up he is out of there!" Sakura said. She had a small brown paper bag, filled with what they needed and what Ino wanted. The girl stole the bag from Sakura and rummaged through, pulling out a bag of chocolate covered pretzels.

"Sanctuary!" Ino cried and opened the bag with a devilish smile. The sweet salty taste filled her mouth and satisfied her taste buds.

"Alright, now that you're satisfied with your treat," Sakura held up a small white box. "let's get this test done with."

Ino groaned and took snatched the box, storming into the bathroom.

"You know what your doing?" Sakura asked as she waited on the outside, casually leaning against the wall next to the door. Inside the bathroom, Ino was going over the directions.

"Yea, yea I've got it. Give a moment." Ino hissed and ripped open the box. "It's going to be negative though! I'm not pregnant!"

Sakura shook her head at her friend's stubbornness. She was already in denial. Who knows though, maybe she was wrong after all. Sakura still was sure, but she needed the proof.

After a couple of minutes, a ringtone sounded a few feet away from Sakura. "That's my phone could you get it?" Ino said through the door.

Sakura didn't reply and grabbed the silver phone. She glanced at the front cover and noticed it was Shikamaru's number. "Hello?" she answered. A deep, bored sounding voice answered her.

"_Sakura? Is Ino at your place?"_ he asked.

"Yea, she's uh…in the bathroom right now."

"_Oh." _Was his reply.

There was a loud shriek and Sakura cringed. _"Was that her? What's going on!?" _

Sakura hurriedly made an excuse. "Nothing, she just saw a spider."

"_Hm. Troublesome." _Ino then emerged from the bathroom, her face as pale as ever and tears shining in her eyes. _"Is she coming home sometime soon?" _

"Is Ino coming home soon?" Sakura said out loud to get a response from her frightened friend. Ino shook her head furiously. "She was planning on staying the night here, since we haven't spent a lot of time together. You know what I mean." Sakura covered. Her heart swelled at her friend's reaction and she felt some kind of panic flow through her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sasuke walk out from her room, rubbing his head and giving Ino a curious look.

"_Yea. Well then, I'm sure she'll come get clothes if she needs them." _Shikamaru said with a sigh. Ino had fallen to the ground, her hand over her mouth as she stared at the small white stick in her hand.

"I think she'll just borrow some for me. Uh…we have to go, I'm sure Ino will talk to you later. Bye Shikamaru!" Sakura said quickly and close the phone with a sharp snap.

"It's positive!?" Sakura shouted. Ino didn't say a word. The stick fell out of her shaking hand and landed on the floor with a clank.

"I-I'm pregnant." She whispered.

**XxX**

Sakura was forced to walk Ino home to her apartment she shared with Shikamaru. Sasuke was slightly surprised to find out the two were dating, and also had the pleasure (though he personally didn't care) to learn she was having his baby before the father knew himself.

Sakura and Sasuke walked in silence to the training ground. Sakura was eager to find out what Kakashi had planned.

They reached the bridge and Sakura retreated to Naruto and stood by his side. They all stayed separate like the day before. Sakura gave a yawn, tired from her lack of sleep the night before, having stayed up to comfort Ino, telling her everything would be alright and work out. She lazily rested her head on Naruto's shoulder and prayed that Kakashi wouldn't be working them terribly hard. She still had a shift in the hospital later.

When Kakashi arrived (Late, but not as late as normal) he had a grim expression on his face. He walked up to them, not poofing in like normal, and walked on by. When he was on the other side of the bridge did he open his mouth. "Let's go." he said in a deep tone.

They all reluctantly followed their ex-teacher as he led them to a clearing by the river bed. He sat, crossed legged and motioned for them to sit around him. Sakura on his right, Naruto next to her. Sai on his left with Sasuke (sitting a bit farther away) between Sai and Naruto.

"Obviously, by the show we had yesterday we need to do something with how we interact with each other. If we can't have a team that can work together, then we can't carry out missions. And if we can't carry out missions, we bring dishonor to the village, not to mention paychecks for the week. And I'm not going to risk my money or reputation because some of us can't get along."

No one spoke after that. Kakashi crossed his arms and looked at the young faces around him. What had happened to the team they used to be? They could get along so well. But ever since the dark one left, it wasn't the same.

"So, I'm going to let you solve the problem. I'm hoping that we can settle this like reasonable adults. This means no death matches." Kakashi said and gave a warning glance to Naruto and Sasuke, whom were both glaring at each other.

There was a pregnant silence and Kakashi watched them all. If this wouldn't get solved he would have to separate them all, something he didn't want to do, but if it came down to it, he would do it. Unsurprisingly, Naruto was the first to speak.

"You know, we were working just fine until he showed up. Why doesn't he just fix the problem and join a different team?"

Sakura fully agreed to this. It was Sasuke's fault.

"I would leave, but I'm being watched and the old lady, for some reason, wants me to stay here." Sasuke spat angrily and looked away into the deep green forest. His cool appearance covered the frustration he was feeling. He needed to go and take some of it out. Over the years, his frustration had been stored up and there were times where he thought he was going to explode. He just needed something…_someone_ to take it out on. He didn't care how, but he needed some kind of emotional release.

"Well, why don't you try to be nice? Instead of a stubborn jackass?" Sakura suggested. She glared at the boy.

"Why should I be nice?" He asked venomously. His dark eyes flashed.

"Because you should teme!" Naruto shouted.

Sai sat in silence as he listened to the exchanged words. He technically was part of this, but in reality he wasn't. Obviously, there were no problems with him on the team. He was just the new, spare teammate. The problem settled within the three old teammates.

"Because we're your friends." Sakura said. Her words were spoken in a soft voice, but they were very loud.

And all Sasuke could do was snort and glare at her. "Were we ever friends?" he asked seriously.

Once again Sakura felt her heart stop. Kakashi gave her a hard look. He knew that must have hurt.

"What about us Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Was I ever your friend? Because I thought I was your best friend. You were mine anyways."

Sasuke didn't say anything and avoided the boy. He ignored Sakura as well. He ignored Kakashi, and he ignored Sai. He ignored them all. They didn't need to know what he felt. Only he needed to know. No one else. He had to keep reserved and to himself, or else pointless attachments like this might make him go soft. He had to stay strong. Even if his brother was gone, his addiction to power overwhelmed him.

Slowly he stood up, preparing to walk away to do something useful. Actual training.

"Sasuke." The voice was pleading and he stopped. He didn't turn back but he stopped walking. "What happened too you? You're not the person I fell in love with!" The words were spoken in a harsh voice and he could feel emerald eyes glaring as hard as ever into his back. Sakura was terribly pissed at Sasuke's lack of communication and cooperation.

He remained silent and left her question unanswered. He couldn't give her an answer. He didn't _know _the answer.

"Sasuke. Sit your ass down or I'll make sure you can't ever sit again." Kakashi said miserably. Sasuke didn't reply to the request, nor did he do what he was told. He did turn to face the group though. Sakura was squeezing Naruto's arm, trying her hardest to calm him and herself. Her eyes flashed dangerously and she wanted nothing more than to rip the Uchiha apart.

"I can only give you guys one month. If you don't settle your problems and can't work together in that time, I'm afraid you'll all be sent to different teams. You got that?"

Sakura and Naruto nodded, Sasuke didn't move, and Sai was still trying to figure out what happened.

"Good. Now go home. All of you." Kakashi said and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

It took a moment for Sakura to move, but when she did she stood up, marched over to Sasuke, and slapped him hard across the face.

"Bastard."

**I hope you liked that! I can say though…something really big will happen in a bout two chapters…something that will put a major twist in the plot and throw everything into chaos! **


	9. His reaction

**So, sorry this took so long. We've been having some nasty storms up here in NY, so I couldn't get on. **

**Plus…yesterday my mom and I were driving home from the store, and we were close to my house. Well holy crap, God wanted me dead because we witnessed a bolt of lightening strike a telephone pole no more than 30 feet ahead of us! It gave me such a shock, and the wires were swinging around and it was smoking! My mom wouldn't drive under them so we went the long way home. Lol, it was one of the coolest things ever! Ok…now on with the story!**

**BIG TWIST COMING IN NEXT CHAPTER! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIBA!!!!**

**Thanks to all for reviewing and I hope you are enjoying this so far!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changed! I'll let you know if it ever does.**

_Sparkling angel I believe _

_You were my savior in my time of need.  
Blinded by faith couldn't hear  
All the whispers, the warnings so clear._

_I see the angels,  
I'll lead them to your door.  
There's no escape now,  
No mercy no more._

_"Angels" __**Within Temptation**_

Two weeks had passed since the group talk and Ino found out she was pregnant. The team's cooperation wasn't getting any better, and Sakura was loosing hope that they would stay together. As much as she hated Sasuke at the moment, she couldn't help but feel a small warm feeling in the pit of her stomach when she saw him.

"Have you told him?" Sakura asked Ino as she stirred some sugar into her iced tea. Her blonde friend agreed to meet her at a local café for her lunch break. They hadn't talked frequently in the past couple of days, and Sakura felt as though she had to keep an eye on her friend.

Ino glumly looked down at her pastry. Her appetite was suddenly lost, and a wave of nausea (not pregnancy related) washed over her. She pushed the treat away with hesitant detest and avoided Sakura's eyes.

"Why not? He has the right to know. He is the father after all Ino! Right? He is…you know the dad?" Sakura asked, suddenly unsure of herself. Ino shot her a heated glare.

"Yes." She hissed. "He is he father Sakura. I'm afraid to tell him. So I've avoided it. You and Sasuke are still the only ones who know."

Looking up at her friend's gloomy face, Sakura spoke once more. "You know I've been taking care of a patient for the past couple of months. She came to the hospital after she found out she was pregnant. I was assigned to be her nurse and we got to know each other. Her name is Kieko. She and I became really good friends, and she told me about her situation." She paused for a moment and looked out among the crowd of the streets.

"She was in the same boat as you. It was an unexpected pregnancy, and she was terrified of telling her boyfriend. She was so afraid that he would leave her and their baby."

Ino looked up and gave Sakura a look that told her to continue. So she did. "Finally she did tell her boyfriend. And you know what, he was cool about it. And he understood and he promised to take care of the baby forever." She smiled up at Ino. "She's not due for another month, I'm sure she'd love to get to know you."

Ino didn't say or do anything. She looked out the window and her eyes were clouded with emotions.

Sakura sipped at her drink and checked her watch. She still had forty-five minutes left until she had to return to work. "You really need to tell him Ino. He'll notice sometime anyways. It's better to get it over with now, or he may suspect something."

Ino nodded, but she still had major doubts. "What…what if he get's angry. Or…if he rejects the baby. I wouldn't be able to live if he did that!"

"He won't Ino. Shikamaru's a gentleman. He won't deny something that's his and he's responsible so he'll take care of you and his baby. I'm sure of it."

"You're right. Shika is good like that. Ok, I'll tell him today."

"Good." A faint beeping could be heard and Sakura's hand dove into her pocket and she pulled out her beeper. "You have to be kidding me! What could be going on that they need me?" She said angrily and pocketed the device. "Sorry, I have to cut this lunch short. I'll see you around Ino and good luck!"

**XxX**

Ino was lounging on the couch, a bag of potato chips in hand. She had just woken up from a nap. She had been working with her mother in the flower shop, and was dead tired. Her mother, being the concerned woman she is, told her daughter to go home and sleep seeing as the business was slow for the day. At first Ino protested, but her mother ushered her out and Ino had no choice.

She was grateful though because she nearly passed out when she got home. Shikamaru wasn't home. He had to help in the academy, so she didn't expect him home until later.

Her nerves were causing her to be fidgety. Her foot bounced against the couch and she found it hard to concentrate of the show on the TV. She didn't even know what it was let along that there were to women at each other's throats over something. A man?

The sound of the door closing caused her to jump and give a surprised squeak. Her cheeks flushed as Shikamaru walked into the room and flopped down on the couch besides Ino, breathing a huge sigh and rubbing his face over his hands.

"Hard day?" Ino asked, trying to get a conversation going between them so she could possibly slip in the subject to she wanted to talk about.

"Hn."

Unfortunately Shikamaru wasn't one to talk to often. Ino looked around the room, and tried to think of something to say, anything to get a conversation. It would be the easiest way to tell him. Her nerves were getting out of control and she had to hold her hands together to stop them from shaking.

Shikamaru looked down at Ino's hands and noticed the shaking. "You ok?" he asked. Ino glanced up at him with huge blue eyes.

Ok. All she needed was to go along with what he said. Make something up. They needed to be talking so she could casually slip the subject in so he wouldn't go ballistic. Think Ino! Think…conversation. Casual words. A way to slip in terrible news.

"I think I'm pregnant!" Ino blurted out. She quickly covered her mouth and looked away, here eyes shining with tears.

So much for casually slipping it in.

She slowly turned around and looked at Shikamaru. He looked indifferent, and confused. His brows were scrunched together and if someone walked in they would have thought Ino had just smacked the boy silly.

"You're…"

Ino nodded her head furiously. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I mean, I couldn't do anything about it! It was an accident! I'm so so sorry!"

Putting up his hand to stop her rant, he gave another sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"This is most definitely…"

Ino knew it was coming. His opinion on everything.

"Troublesome."

"I know it is. Really I'm sorry. I…I understand if you don't want to be with me. If you want…want to leave." Ino turned her head away again and moved off the couch. She left the living room and went into the kitchen. Her heart was racing.

He didn't give her any reaction. And when she said he could leave, he didn't jump up and say, 'I'll never leave you!' No, she got nothing. And even now, she could feel her whole world falling apart as there was an absence of footsteps coming towards the kitchen. A sob escaped her lips. Maybe she should just make it easy and leave. He obviously didn't want the baby or her.

Frantically she dashed out of the kitchen, through the living room where Shikamaru still hadn't moved, and into their shared bedroom. She took her traveling pack and began to fill it with her clothes and possessions. Sakura lied. She said Shikamaru wouldn't reject the baby. He didn't directly reject them, but his silence gave her an answer.

He wasn't even coming in to see if she was alright. She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and gave an involuntary hiccup. Then at the moment when she was tossing a few of her shirts into the bag and voice made her stop.

"Ino. You're not leaving this house." Shikamaru walked in and caught her hand just as she was putting more things into her bag. He began to take them all back out and put them back where they originally were.

"Why do you want me to stay? You obviously don't want me or your baby!" Ino shouted back as a wave of anger washed over her unexpectedly. She began to grab her things and repack them.

"Ino stop. I never said I didn't want the baby or you." Shikamaru said and caught both of her wrists this time. She struggled against him for a bit.

"Well you never said you wanted us either! Why don't I make it easier for you! If I leave, the whole troublesome situation will be out of your hair! You never like complicated things!" Ino returned and continued to struggle in his grasp.

Shikamaru shook his head. "And do you think that if I let you go with my child things won't be troublesome. I'm your teammate as well don't forget that. So I will see you everyday and feel guilty for you leaving." He said. Ino glared up at him and her struggling stopped.

"Well I'm not staying here out of guilt! Look, I'm just trying to make it easier. I'm really sorry this had to happen!"

"And do you think it's just your fault? Remember, it takes two people to make a baby, and if you have to blame someone, it will be both of us. We were careless. And how will you leaving make it easier? You'll be a single mother and I'll be full of worry about the both of you. So stay here." He said.

Ino didn't know what to think. Was he just doing this out of guilt, or did he really want this child?

"So you want the baby?" she asked quietly.

"I didn't say I wanted it. But we have no choice do we?" he stated. Ino pulled back a bit and tried to figure out what to do. But as she tried to pull her wrists out of his grasp, Shikamaru pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her.

"Stop fighting me and listen." He whispered in her ear. She immediately stopped her fight. His voice was soft, yet so commanding. "No I never said I wanted this child. But we will do whatever we can to give it a normal life it deserves. I'll take care of both of you."

Ino melted into his form and gave one last soft sob. "Ok." She said back and closed her eyes. They stayed like that for a moment and Ino opened her mouth. "Shikamaru."

"Hm?"

"I really am sorry."

**XxX**

**(Meh. I was going to end it there.) **

"Phew. Thanks for coming in Sakura." Tsunade said as she pulled the latex gloves from her hands. Sakura followed suit and walked out of the operating room. She was called in to assist Tsunade in an emergency surgery after a man fell off of his roof.

"Of course Tsunade-shishou." She said tiredly.

After getting cleaned up, they left the man in charge of one of the doctors. They walked down the halls of the hospital. "Oh, Sakura. Take a small break and come to my office with me. I want to talk to you." She said turned down a different path. Sakura nodded her head and walked with her.

Once they got into the office, Tsunade walked around behind her desk and sat down. Textbooks were laid about the room. "Sorry, Shizune and I've been doing a bit of research." Tsunade said. Sakura took a seat in one of the chairs across form Tsunade.

"I haven't told many people this, but Sakura…I'm getting old." Sakura sweat dropped.

'_Could've fooled me.' _The girl thought sarcastically. She said nothing but merely nodded.

"And I've suggested to the council…about giving up my title as Hokage." She said smoothly as though it were no big deal. Sakura's eyes widened and she gawked at her teacher.

"You're kidding right Tsunade-sama?" she asked in disbelief. Tsunade shook her head.

"No i'm not kidding. I'm going to resign and take my full time to the hospital."

"But…but who will take the title! I mean, who can take your place?" Sakura asked breathlessly.

Tsunade simply smirked and placed her elbows on the desk. Her chin rested on her laced fingers. "I've already recommended someone. And I'm sure he'll be thrilled."

"Really?" Sakura asked curiously. "Who?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura's face broke out in a grin and she jumped up. "No way! Oh my gosh he's going to be so thrilled! Can I tell him? I want to be the one who tells him!" she said over enthusiastically.

Tsunade put her hand up. "Don't get ahead of me. The council is a bit skeptical about making him the next Hokage, being that he has the Kyuubi in him."

"But they have to! I mean…he's perfect for the job…oh and he wants it so bad…I mea..."

_Beep_

_Beep_

"Damn thing! I hate you!" Sakura cursed as she took her pager out once again. It was one of the nurses in the labor ward. "Oh goodness, I have to go. I think I have to deliver a baby!" Sakura said and she began to rush out of the room.

Tsunade watched her leave and her eyes darkened. "But there aren't any babies due for a good couple of weeks."

**All done. I know you all can't wait for the next chapter so I'll get cracking! **

**I may have a very small supply of lemonade in the next chapter, due to request by my dear friend. Curse her.**


	10. Fatal Mistake

**I had such a bad urge to type this right when I finished the last chapter. **

**Ok, meh I'm nervous about how people will react. So…this will be my own personal worry chapter.**

**As for the rating change…I had to do it. Yes there is a small lemon in this chapter. I have it marked so you can skip over it if you want. I'll tell you when it's safe to read again. And it's possible that I may add more in later chapters. Sorry if your disappointed or just don't like it. My story, my decision. **

**So….here it is! The chapter that makes the story go crazy!**

_When disaster strikes, I shed some tears. And even when I feel my heart break, I get the pieces and some scotch tape. The emotional frustration, I push aside. And at the end of the day I hold my head high, shed one more tear and try to move on._

_-Me_

Even though her head was not working properly, she figured it was time to leave. She staggered off of her stool and took hold of the side of the counter to steady herself for a moment. At this point she just wanted to make it home from the bar she was at.

The dim lights disappeared as she walked out of the crowed place. Fresh air filled her nostrils, and she exhaled the smoke she had been breathing in for the past hour. Her whiskey induced body started down the streets, as she tried to remember where her street was.

It took her twenty minutes to get somewhere that was only ten minutes away and wobbled as she made it to her door. She wretched it open and stumbled in. Her slightly bloodshot eyes roamed the room and two figures, only slightly blurry resided on the couch. One she knew was Uchiha Sasuke.

The other was the guard of the day, Hyuuga Neji.

She didn't even dismiss him, and made her way to the kitchen, wanting to get a hold of more alcohol. Miserably she shuffled though her cabinets until she found what she wanted. Multiple bottles of sake sat in the cabinet. They were all the ones she confiscated from Tsunade's room, and at the moment she was terribly happy that she had them. Taking a handful, she moved to the table and sat down, not even bothering with a cup as she chugged down some of the contents.

It was then that Neji walked into the room and observed the girl. She looked up at him with sad eyes. "You can go Neji." She said in a slurred tone.

The boy looked at her as if she were crazy. "You're in no condition to keep watch over Uchiha tonight." He said coldly and glared at her. "Why are you like this anyway?"

"Why duyou care?" she retorted and glared at him through half lidded eyes. She took another swing from her sake bottle and set it down with a clank. "Just go Neji. I'll be fine. He won't try anything…not when I'm like this." She mumbled and put her head in her arms.

Neji could have sworn he heard a small sob from the girl, but shrugged it off. He couldn't stand having to baby-sit the Uchiha all day, and there was no way he would watch both him and a drunk upset girl. "Fine. I'm leaving then." He said and left the room.

When the door shut Sakura breathed a shaky breath and clutched her head. Damnit all. Why did all of the bad things have to happen to her? Where had she gone wrong in her life?

This wasn't any kind of karma though. She didn't just kick a puppy in her past life. With the way things were she must have kicked a whole litter of puppies and killed their mother.

And it could only get worse as Uchiha Sasuke seemed to want to know what her problem was. "You ok?" he asked monotone. Sakura finished her contents in the first sake bottle and moved onto another.

"I can't be." She started, her words seemingly melting together. "I'm hallucinating because you're concerned for me." She added a small giggle at the end followed by a hiccup.

"Well, you're obviously not ok." He said and turned around to leave the room.

"Sit." Sakura said. She looked up at him.

"I'll pass." He said as he started to leave.

"I said…sit!" the girl said and pulled the boy down into a chair. Sasuke was caught by surprise and gave a small odd noise as she tugged him down. He glared at Sakura's smiling face.

"Good." She said. The alcohol was taking a toll on her now. Sakura was an emotional drunk. She learned this (with Ino's help) after her friend dragged her to a bar to meet some guys. Sakura initially didn't want to go, but Ino was persistent and said it was good for her. Once there, and two shots of vodka, three shots of straight whisky and a rough beer chugging contest later, she was an emotional rollercoaster. She would be all happy and cheery with a guy one moment, his eyes would leave her, and the next minute she was accusing him of looking at other women and trying to beat the crap out of him.

She took one of the bottles and pushed it towards him. "Have some." She said before taking more from her own bottle. Sasuke looked at the bottle skeptically. He didn't drink much. Sometimes he had had an occasional drink, but nothing much.

Slowly he raised the bottle to his lips and took a sip. The liquid contents slid over his tongue and down his throat. It burned slightly. But overall he didn't think it was all that bad. He took a bigger sip next time.

"Why do all Kami's hate me?" Sakura said out of the blue. She knew she was wallowing in misery, and right now that's what she needed. She continued to drain more bottles of sake as she looked over at Sasuke, who seemed to be taking a liking to the alcohol.

"Why do you say that?" he said, his speech more stable than hers. After his first bottle was gone, he made a gesture with his hand asking for another. Sakura pushed another bottle to him.

"Why do you have to ask?" She said sarcastically. She sighed and put her head in her hands. "I've had the worst day…well not of my life. Thanks to you."

Sasuke looked up at her with a questioning look. "Hn?"

"Never mind. But, I don't know what I've done to deserve what's happened to me."

No words came from his mouth. He took another gulp of his drink. Sakura mimicked his actions and closed her eyes.

"I lost a friend today." she started. Her voice went quiet. "She died today, along with what would have been her son…at my hands." She shuttered slightly and Sasuke remained silent. "She was the first patient I ever lost."

Silence washed through the room. The clock ticked up on the wall, and the sound of the bottles being placed on the countertop echoed through the room.

"Have you ever felt so…full of frustration…and no matter what you did…you couldn't let it all out? And then all you wanted to do was find some way to…make it go away. And you became desperate." As the words were said, Sakura abandoned her sake bottle and inched forward towards the boy.

He didn't say anything and watched in confusion as she came closer. "Have you felt that way? Like you would do anything…anything to make it go away?"

She was closer now. Her jade eyes burned holes through him as she waited for him to say something. But no words passed by his lips. He took one last long drink and gazed back at her. Then slowly, he nodded.

A grin spread across her face and she nodded drunkenly. "I thought so." She teased, her smile turning into a smirk. She inched forward and was slightly surprised when Sasuke didn't move back.

"Me too."

**XxX**

**Beware!**

**Lemon Ahead!**

**Don't like, don't read!**

Sakura's shirt lay abandoned in the entrance of the kitchen. Multiple empty sake bottles were scattered across the table and floor. Sasuke's shirt was in the living room, just before the hallway to Sakura's room. A moan rang through the room and echoed through the house.

"Sa…Sasuke." Sakura breathed. The dark haired boy had her pinned against the wall. His lips were on her neck, and his hands were traveling over her hips, drinking in her curves. His tongue ran over her warm flesh as his kisses moved up her neck and to her jaw.

Sakura bit her lip to keep herself from screaming out. Never had she thought this would happen. Even under the influence of alcohol. She never dreamed that Uchiha Sasuke (drunk or not) would make her feel this way. His touch…it burned. Not in a bad way, but there was something about his touch…that just drove her crazy.

His lips brushed over hers before kissing her hungrily. That's all she was though. A way for him to get all of his frustration out. Nothing more. But…that's what she had said in the first place. So…was he the same thing to her?

She was cut from her thoughts as Sasuke lifted her in his arms. He staggered to the bed, the sake affecting his balance. He set her down and Sakura looked up at his blurry figure.

As Sasuke climbed over her, the closer image allowed Sakura to see his eyes. They were glazed with lust. He was being driven by lust. His lips attacked her neck once more. He nipped at the skin leaving small love bites. His hands worked on removing the rest of her clothing. She did the same to him. Her small hands traced over his chest, and trailed down his stomach.

More moans escaped her lips. The small sounds she made seemed to fuel Sasuke's actions. He made what sounded like a small growl in the back of his throat and kissed her again. Then he trailed kisses all down her neck, to her color bone, and over her exposed chest.

And Sakura lost her mind.

The huge amount of pleasure she felt was mixing with the mass amount of alcohol in her body, increasing the good feeling she was getting. Sakura didn't want this to stop. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. The sensations were incredible. "Kami." She breathed.

Sasuke was just the same as her. His desire to relieve himself of all his frustration mingled with his intoxicated mind, blinding him from the path of stopping. The sensation was too much, and he wasn't going to stop. His lust drove him. The alcohol drove him. Neither one of them were in their right mind.

The good feelings continued to wash over her. She moaned in ecstasy. She never even noticed that they were fully naked. She didn't care at this point either. Honestly, she couldn't even tell you which room of her house she was in. She was too drunk to notice anything. Everything behind Sasuke was blurry and she couldn't clearly identify anything.

But the wonderful feelings were cut off as a sharp pain shot through her. Her scream echoed through the house. The good feelings were gone and she struggled slightly, trying to move away from what caused her this pain. Sasuke held her to him though.

"Stop…moving." He said breathlessly. Sakura didn't listen to him and tried to move away, but this only caused her more pain. She gasped and stopped her movements. Sasuke didn't move for a moment, but his lacking self control forced him to move.

Sakura, who had barely enough time to adjust to the intrusion, felt more discomfort. Her moans turned into ones of pain. It took time, and slowly they changed. Back to cries of pleasure. She arched her back to Sasuke's body. Her fingers clawed down his back and she left long red marks.

"God. Feels…good." Sakura panted. She thought she was going to explode.

Sasuke groaned. He could feel all the bits of anger, frustration, annoyance, hatred, everything, leave is body. He would have felt more relaxed if he wasn't built up with lust. Or if the buzzing in his head, or his blurry eyesight was gone as well. But those were just the side affects of being terribly drunk.

He could hear Sakura's final scream and he groaned one last time and fell on top of the girl, panting for breath. He picked his head up, then rolled over onto Sakura's other side.

The girl had already passed out. Everything must have finally taken a toll on her.

He closed his eyes as well. Sasuke felt a hell of a lot better. At least more than he has in recent times.

Too bad he couldn't say that in the morning.

**Lemon is over!**

**XxX**

The morning sun seemed to shine brighter, and the tick of her clock on the bedside table seemed to tick louder. Sakura groaned and pulled the blankets further over her head to block everything out. It didn't help though.

She groaned. Her head was pounding. What happened last night? Besides the headache, her whole body ached. Did she get into a fight? She had no memory at all. Except for what happened in the day time. She remembered talking to Ino, then getting called out. She remembered the horror when she lost her friend. And then she went to the bar after. She didn't remember much after that.

'_I need aspirin.' _She thought. Sakura threw the blankets off her body and moved to get up. But something stopped her. Well two things. One…she was naked. Normally she would fall asleep in some clothing, even if it was just her undergarments. Two…there was an arm around her waist.

She looked around the room. She was in her bedroom. Good sign. She knew where she was. But she hesitated before looking over her shoulder. And the dark haired man continued to sleep, his arms still around her waist.

She froze. No. This wasn't happening. Not to her. She didn't need anymore trouble. Oh Kami…no! Her heart began to race. She could feel herself start to shake. Please. She couldn't have. Not with him.

But as soon as she froze, she gave a loud scream and pushed the boy away, successfully pushing him off the bed and onto the floor with a loud 'thump' and an annoyed groan. "My freaking head." Sasuke groaned. He rubbed his temples and stood up.

Sakura looked at him with very wide eyes. Sasuke's eyes were narrow as he looked at her. She was blushing. He then became very aware of his nakedness. His cheeks burned slightly. Sakura saw his eyes were on her as well. She yelped and grabbed her sheets and hurriedly wrapped them around herself.

He grabbed her pink comforter and wrapped it around his waist. He sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes. "Do you remember anything…from last night?" Sakura asked in a hushed tone. She sounded terrified.

"…No." Sasuke mumbled. "I have a ficken headache though."

Sakura sat on the bed, her back to his, his back to hers. They didn't speak for a while. The silence was growing uncomfortable though.

"I can't believe we…" Sakura trailed off and her eyes grew wider if possible. "No. No no no no!" she muttered over and over.

She was still trembling and couldn't stop. This just wasn't happening!

Sakura knew she was scared and she looked over her shoulder at the unmoving boy. She couldn't see his face, but he was shaking or anything. Was he really that unaffected by this.

But no matter how cool Sasuke came across as, he was torn up on the inside. He was beating himself up over this. How could he have lost his control? He was an Uchiha! Uchiha's never lost their self control. How…oh yeah. He was drunk. He had no memory of last night at all. But at the moment. He couldn't help but feel pissed off…and a little bit freaked out.

H could barely hear the worried mumbles coming from Sakura when he spoke. His words cut her from her mumbling. He looked over his shoulder and turned slightly. "Sakura." He said in a deep voice. There was something slightly off about his speech. "Where you…did you ever…before me?" he asked awkwardly.

Sakura turned around slightly as well. She knew what he was asking. The thought scared her even more. She swallowed and very weakly said, "No. You were my first."

"Damnit." He hissed angrily. Sakura cringed slightly. This wasn't happening! Seriously it couldn't be!

She stood and walked out of her room and into the bathroom. She needed aspiring now. She took the bottle of pills out from the medicine cabinet and opened the cap. Two pills for herself. She was about to cap the bottle and put it away. But, Sasuke must need it too. He said he had a headache. He must have had a couple of drinks last night as well. She took two pills for him as well.

Sakura adjusted the sheet as she looked at herself in the mirror. She moved it around to cover herself more. She frowned at the many dark purple spots on her neck and shoulder. It looked like she was attacked by a vacuum.

After she took her pills, she took a glass of water in for Sasuke. She walked up to him and held her hand out. He noticed the small white pills. He said nothing, but gave her the smallest of nods and accepted them and the water.

Sakura sat next to him. Would this change things between them? What would happen? Would their teammates notice something happened between them?

"Do you…I mean, I hope we used protection." Sakura said quietly. She was staring at the wall. Sasuke found the wall just as interesting and took another drink of water.

He shrugged his shoulders. Man he hoped so. He wanted to marry someone and rebuild his clan. Not have it happen on a night he can't even remember!

Sakura put her head in her hands. Her shoulders shook slightly. "How could we have been so stupid?"

He didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything. His voice had suddenly disappeared as the consequences to their actions ran through his head.

"Just forget about it." he growled. His face scrunched up in annoyance.

"What? How can we? It's not just going to go away!" she sound loudly and threw her hands up.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed even more. "You don't remember what happened last night and neither do I. So forget how we woke up this morning got it? Just forget this ever happened." he said harshly and stood up, leaving the room.

She watched him leave. Too bad this morning was such a downer. If it wasn't, she would have laughed at the sight of Sasuke walking out of her room with a pink blanket around his waist.

He was right. She had to forget this ever happened. All she had to do was act like normal around him. It couldn't be so bad.

But no matter how many times she said that, she knew things could only get worse from here on in.

"Why me?"

**Ok. I want you all to remember something before you yell at me…THEY WERE DRUNK!!! It happens you know. You get drunk, do something stupid, and then wake up with no memory of anything. So please…think about that before you say... "Sasuke would never do that!" Ok? Good. Now I hope you enjoy and things will only continue to get more hectic! This is only the beginning of the chaos! **


	11. Sensei knows best

**Hm. I'm glad that everyone liked the last chapter. I was skeptical about it…but yeah. So here is the next chapter. **

**Meh. Goodness. The friend that died. I thought I was clear, guess I was wrong. It was her friend Kieko. The only pregnant friend she had besides Ino, and I wouldn't think Ino would go into labor, or even think it would be possible. Sorry, I guess that was my fault. **

They still had two weeks left. Two weeks to get their teamwork problem solved. And Sakura was loosing hope.

She was sitting under a large oak tree next to Kakashi. She gave up on training after a fight broke out. She watched in slight awe. It was amazing how bad things could get. She didn't even think this was possible. Oh boy, where was her camera when she needed it?

Kakashi looked up from his book, and with a sigh closed it. "Doesn't look like things are improving huh?" he mentioned to Sakura. The girl didn't even look up at him, but continued to watch the boys with an odd look. Her gaze had been pointed at Sasuke, and Kakashi had noticed.

"What gave you that idea?" She asked sarcastically. "The fact that Sasuke has his katana drawn?" She said. Sasuke had a deep scowl on his face as he glared at Naruto. "The fact that Naruto is attempting to choke Sasuke with his headband?" It was true. The blonde growled as he held his headband around Sasuke's neck. "Or the fact that Sai is having fun and keep drawing sparrows and making them attack the other two?"

The artist drew one more bird that flew off and landed on Sasuke's head. It proceeded to peck his scalp. Sakura cocked her head and frowned. "I'll name it Jordan." She said quietly. Kakashi shook his head and stood up.

"Alright, break it up you guys." He said firmly. The two moved away from each other, still glaring daggers. "I really think you guys should try and get your act together. You have two weeks. Stop this ridiculous fighting and work together. I know you can, I've seen you do it." Kakashi said. Frustration was evident in his voice. They all knew he was serious.

"Now all of you go." He said. Kakashi rubbed his head. He saw Sakura stand up out of the corner of his eye. "Sakura you stay. Sai make sure Sasuke get's back to Sakura's home and stay there until she comes. This won't take too long."

Sasuke threw Kakashi a curious glance before walking in front of Sai. Sakura on the other hand started to panic. What if Kakashi knew something? She noticed she was fidgeting with her shirt and forced herself to stop. She had to play stupid if he suspected anything.

"Sit back down." He said. Sakura obliged and sat back down on the soft ground. Kakashi sat besides her. He looked up at the sky and didn't say anything for a moment. Sakura started playing with the grass, pulling the small green blades up from the ground and breaking them into pieces.

"Sakura, did something happen between you and Sasuke?"

Damn. He noticed.

"What…makes you say that?" She questioned, trying her hardest to sound calm. She looked down at the ground, and avoided making eye contact. He didn't speak at first. He had noticed her attitude had changed in only the matter of a few days. Kakashi was a curious man sometimes.

"Well, your intense glaring had turned into intense staring. It just seems odd. And you've been avoiding him more than usual. I'm just curious." Kakashi trailed off and looked at the girl. The fact that she was avoiding to look at him added to his curiousness. She was definitely hiding something.

"Nothing had happened Kakashi. You're worrying over nothing." Sakura assured him. Still she wouldn't look at him. If he took one look at her face it would be all over for her.

"You know you can tell me anything Sakura. And I won't rat you out or anything. I'm here to help you."

She believed him. She knew Kakashi was true to his words. And he has always cared for her. Like after…what happened all those years ago…he took her in for a little while. He helped her get back on her feet.

"I know Kakashi. But really, everything is fine. Nothing happened. I guess I'm just getting used to having Sasuke back." She mumbled quietly. Kakashi picked up every word she said.

"Ok. I understand. I guess there are just some things a sensei isn't supposed to know. But besides that, I was wondering if you could think of a way to get the rest of the team working together. I was thinking of another bell test, but you guys are beyond that. You and Naruto found a way to get them from me."

"That was just luck. Naruto thought of it and I just went along."

"But still, you got me. Look, I know you don't want to be separated from the team, and I would be devastated to see the team split up. So I'm going to try in anyway to help out. I'm sure you don't want to be away from Naruto. And even if you won't admit it, I know you don't want to be away from Sasuke either. Some feeling for people never go away."

Sakura remained silent. He was right. And as much as she denied it, her feelings for Sasuke had drifted back into existence.

She shook her head and pushed the thought away. "I'm fine. But I promise to tell you if something does happen. How's that?" She suggested. Sakura knew that Kakashi wasn't totally convinced, but this was something she couldn't tell him.

"Alright. I'll make sure you keep that promise as well." Kakashi said. Finally Sakura took a quick glance at her ex-teacher. She could tell, behind the mask he was smiling at her. She gave him a reassuring smile. "Go on and get home. Make sure Sasuke hasn't killed Sai yet."

"I don't think Sai could give Sasuke a reason to murder him." Sakura said as she stood up and dusted off the back of her skirt.

"Well I overheard Sai's nickname, 'Emo boy' was it? And Sasuke didn't look all too happy about it."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle. It was true, Sasuke never did look happy about his nickname. Although, no one liked Sai's nicknames. "See you Kakashi!" She said and gave him a parting wave.

**XxX**

Sakura didn't know what she was expecting to see as she opened her front door. She couldn't say what Sai would be doing, most likely drawing, and Sasuke…probably shooting annoyed glares at his look alike.

Although when she did walk in, she was shocked to find Sai sitting in her living room, messing around with her DVD player, staring at the remote. His face looked confused as he pushed one of the buttons and suddenly the player started. She never took out the last movie she had in there and Cinderella began to play.

Sai watched as the screen lit up. He watched in amusement. He looked over his shoulder at Sakura who was taking off her weapon pouches. "Ugly dreams of being a princess huh?" He said sarcastically. Sakura glared at him.

"If you must know I love Disney movies." (Lol, so does my 19 year-old sister. She has so many. Rach has seen her collection. I'm right neh?) "So what if I watch them." She growled. "Where's Sasuke anyways?" she asked.

Sai, now trying to stop the movie, shrugged his shoulders. "I think he went into the kitchen."

"Can't trust you to watch someone." Sakura mumbled as she walked over to the kitchen. As she entered she saw raven hair blocking the face of Sasuke. She walked over to him and peered over his shoulder.

He was making a sandwich. Just the thought of Sasuke being so domestic was funny, but actually seeing it was better. She covered her mouth as a small giggle escaped her lips. She stepped away as Sasuke looked over his shoulder.

"Is there something funny?" He asked.

"N-no. It's just…your being so domestic." She said. Her pink hair swung around her shoulders as she turned to the fridge. She pulled out a bottle of water.

"I'm hungry and I'm sure you're not going to scold me for taking it upon myself to eat. I'm allowed to eat here right?" Sasuke said sarcastically and began to slice a tomato.

"Heh, who bought the food?" Sakura asked smartly.

"Me." Sasuke replied smoothly. Oh, he got her there. "We go shopping; you forget your money and asked if I could buy everything. I didn't have to you know."

"Tch. Then you wouldn't have anything to eat either." Sakura retorted. "And obviously you would get hungry."

"I could have gotten my own food.

"Only if I went! Who else is going to take you to the store?" Sakura asked.

"….I can go by myself."

"Ah, not with the monitor."

"Oh and what's that going to do? They'd send ANBU after me. Whoopee doo." Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes.

"Can I go…?" Sai asked as he appeared in the entrance of the kitchen.

"I thought you already left." Sakura said. Sai shrugged his shoulders and retreated from the house.

Sakura turned around to see Sasuke eat a slice of the tomato. The juice of the fruit ran over his lips and his tongue ran out to lap it up. Sakura watched her mouth slightly agape. Man, how did he do this to her? One view of his tongue and her stomach was doing flip-flops. How did he have this much power over her?

Then did she notice him walk pass her as he bit into his freshly made sandwich. Sakura took a big swing from her water bottle, finding now that her throat went dry.

She followed him out and sat on the opposite end of the couch from him. Sasuke swallowed the bite of his lunch before he spoke. "What did Kakashi want?" He asked with slight bitterness. He had a suspicion of what it would be about.

Sakura seemed almost afraid to tell him. "He knows. Not what happened, but he knows something is up." She said.

She hesitated before looking over at Sasuke. He was glaring at the floor. Sakura reached behind her and took hold of the pillow, hugging it to her in comfort. "It's my fault too. I'm sorry, I didn't think he'd be able to tell so easily, and I didn't think I was doing anything that was terribly obvious." She muttered through the pillow.

"I'm actually surprised that Kakashi took three days to notice. But we have to keep denying it. Like I said, nothing happened between us." Sasuke said. Sakura was staring at the old photo of the original team 7. When they were twelve. She didn't say a word.

Sasuke then let out a frustrated sigh. "Sakura." The girl noted the calm knowing in his voice. It almost made his next question pointless. "You still like me…don't you?"

Her eyes shone with concern of what could happen to their relationship. What relationship, she didn't know. She was afraid…afraid of loving him again. He could just leave her again, or worst yet, ignore her and ridicule her again. She couldn't say what was worst.

"I think 'like'…is an understatement."

**Another chapter down. All I can say is…veterans of this story, (those who read it last time) will see some very similar actions, and some not so similar actions. Some you'll hate some you'll love. **

**But all of my ideas are final. I have this all set in my mind, and if I take out the one part some of you are telling me not to do, you can look forward to a boring, predictable story that will not be interesting compared to what I have planned. Not to mention it will be 10-15 chapters shorter and just…lacking the suspense and drama! I know we don't want that to happen! And trust me, by the end, Sasuke and Sakura will be living happily ever after. I can promise that! **

**So please, would you rather have one part taken out, which will resort in many many other ideas taken out and having a nice…safe story to read. **

**Or would you like that one event in, lots of drama, and long story, more drama, more humor, suspense, surprises, twist, and not to mention more drama!**

**Think that over. I'm sure you'll all agree with me!**


	12. Apocalypse

**Woot! This story is coming along great! Glad you're all enjoying! Big twist coming up so get ready!**

**HaHa…I love jealousy. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine…meh.**

"Where is it? Where is it!?" Sakura said frantically. She ran around her room, checking all places she could think of. She moved things all around the top of her dresser and growled when she didn't find what she wanted.

"I can't have lost it! I have to find it! Why did I take it off?" She said out loud to herself. Her eyes were wide with fear. She really couldn't have lost it. Sakura rushed to her beside table and pulled the drawer so hard it came out in her hand. She set the drawer on her bed and searched through some of her items.

"Ah! It's not here either!" She gasped. Worriedly, Sakura crouched on the ground and started looking under her bed.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked. He heard her yelling and couldn't help but wonder what she was looking for.

"I can't find my locket. I have to have that locket!" She said breathlessly. "You know the one that I wear all the time. I took it off before my shower and now it's not here. It was on my dresser, but now it's not!" She crawled over to the dresser and looked underneath it.

"Aha!" She said and reached under the dresser. "Got it." She picked up the small golden heart locket. A smile came across her face. She stood and sat on her bed while clasping the necklace behind her neck.

"And what would be so special about that necklace?" Sasuke asked as he watched her smooth her hair back down. Sakura smiled at him. It was not one of her normal smiles though. It was a sad smile.

"My mom gave it to me. Before she died." She said quietly. Her gaze became distant, as though thinking back on a memory. Sasuke didn't say anything, not knowing if she would say anything or not.

He had never personally met her mother. He never met her father either. He didn't feel very much upon hearing this news, but he could now understand why the necklace was important to her.

Sasuke was about to leave when Sakura spoke up. "My parents died...five years ago." She started. Sasuke didn't really want to stay and hear her story about her parents death, but he couldn't just walk away either. He would have to endure it. He leant up against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest.

"They were sent on a mission. To retrieve someone. The person was marked as a missing nin. My mom gave me this necklace a month before that. But, the day before they left I got into a fight with them. It was something really stupid; I don't even remember what it was. But…the last thing I told them was I hated them. I locked myself in my room."

Sakura's voice quivered slightly. Her eyes were glossy but no tears were shed. "That was the last thing I ever said to them. That was the last time I saw them." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I got the message after their bodies were found. They were tortured apparently. It was hopeless for them. I was so devastated when I found out."

Sasuke just listened. He didn't say a word and stared at the wall. "Since I didn't have any relatives around, Kakashi took me in. That's why we became so close. And I stayed with Naruto sometimes. Finally I was able to support myself after I started working in the hospital and I got this place." She said. Her eyes wandered around her room.

Sasuke had a question to ask though. "Who was the missing ninja your parents went after?" He asked passively.

Sakura remained silent for a while. Finally she looked at him. There was no smile. Not even her sad smile. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth again. "You."

Sasuke felt something flow through him, but he couldn't tell what. Some form of guilt. What hadn't he done to ruin this girl's life? No wonder she was so against him. Quietly, Sasuke stood up and left the room. He didn't hear any protest from Sakura. He really wanted to get out of this house. The tension level seemed to rise and he had to get out. Maybe he could just slip out. Sakura seemed to out of it at the moment to notice.

He didn't stop when he entered the living room. He walked pass the couch, and right to the front door. His mind was so focused on leaving, he didn't even think of the monitor on his ankle. The door opened and closed.

Sakura heard the door and her heart dropped. He wasn't leaving right? No! She felt panic flow through her and she shot up off the bed. He wasn't in the living room. He wasn't in the kitchen or bathroom. Quickly she ran to the door and pulled it open.

Sasuke was on the ground then, not far from the front door trembling. Is arms were wrapped around himself. His eyes were clenched shut and his face was scrunched up in pain. He let out a low groan. Sakura rushed up to him and knelt down besides him.

"Sasuke…what's wrong?" She asked. She couldn't hide the worry.

He didn't say anything but groaned once more. The pain flowing through him was too intense. It felt as though he were being electrocuted.

"Hold on." He heard her say. He could feel his body being lifted as Sakura picked him up. With her strength it wasn't hard. As they approached her house the pain began to dull. Once the shocking sensation went away, his body ached all over and he felt slightly numb.

Sakura managed to carry Sasuke back into the house and carefully set him down on the couch. He continued to tremble, but his shaking wasn't as bad. He looked like he was in horrible pain. Sakura performed a few hand seals and her hands began to glow a light green. She ran her hands over his body, trying to calm his muscles.

She did this for a few minutes. His shaking stopped and he seemed to calm down some. "Are you ok?" She asked softly as the glow of her hands dispersed. She sat back on her knees by the couch and watched as he started to sit up.

"What was that?" he asked, rubbing his head. "I was fine when I walked out. Then this tiny spark went through me. The farther from here I went, the more intense the shock got."

"The monitor." Sakura said in realization. She knew the thing was to keep track of him, but never did she think it would have its own security purpose as well. Sasuke glared at the device on his ankle.

"Can't we keep it off?" he asked tiredly. "I promise I won't leave."

"No. For one thing, I don't trust you when you say you won't leave. Look what you just did! Plus, they will notice if it is off, trust me."

Sasuke just gave a low growl.

"Now I'm sure you'll get it through that thick skull of yours," she said while poking his forehead much to his annoyance, "you must stay here."

With a grumble of "whatever" Sasuke leaned back into the couch.

Sakura rolled her eyes. This man was impossible. "I want to watch a movie." She said out of the blue. Sasuke moved over slightly and allowed room for her to sit. But instead she disappeared into the kitchen.

Sasuke heard the opening of a bag and the microwave opening. There were a couple of beeps and then the machine running.

"You want to pick the movie?" she asked from the kitchen. "And do you want a drink? I can put some tea on."

Sasuke didn't know why she was acting so nice. But then again she did openly admit she still had feelings for him. After everything he had done every problem he caused her. How was that possible? And here he was still acting like a total jerk to her. He could be slightly friendlier to her right?

"Sure. Tea sounds…good." It wasn't a natural thing for him to act kindly to someone. Since he was little he usually had an attitude. He looked over his shoulder to discover her gone. He stood and walked over to her DVD collection.

The size was enough to signal that she was a lonely single girl. There were plenty of options of all different genres. Comedy, action, horror. Horror sounded good. Sasuke had always liked scary movies. Movies that made chills run down your spine.

Sakura returned with a bowl of buttery popcorn and plopped down on the couch. She looked at the movie title on the TV screen.

"Ah. The Exorcist. I haven't watched this in a while. Although, when I did the girls were here. We were all just a bit too freaked out. It's a good movie if you want a scare. And man were we scared." She said with a giggle. "That was an interesting night."

The night wore on and Sakura mindlessly munched on her popcorn. Sasuke stole a couple of pieces every now and then. It was 11:30 when the movie ended. Sasuke looked over at Sakura who had fallen asleep. She had curled up on his pillow. If it was daytime he would have let it go, but the fact that she was on his bed didn't help.

"Sakura." He hissed quietly. She didn't stir. He took one of the left over pieces of popcorn and chucked it at her. It pounced off her head, but she continued to sleep. He moved over to her and shook her shoulder.

"Sakura. Wake up." he said a bit louder. He continued to shake her and she started to move.

"Wha…oh. Sasuke. I fell asleep huh?" She asked. Sakura rubbed her emerald eyes and stretched. "Sorry I fell asleep on your bed." Sasuke shrugged and moved away. Sakura stood up. "Well goodnight. See you in the morning."

"Night." Sasuke mumbled and took his place on the couch. Man he was dead tired.

**XxX**

Morning light filtered in through the windows, waking up Uchiha Sasuke. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Glancing at the clock, he was shocked to find it was almost 10. They were late for training. And not by a few minutes, but by almost two hours. Kakashi didn't even show up this late. Normally if he wasn't awake, Sakura would wake him since she usually set her alarm clock.

He stood off the couch and went through his bag of things, pulling out clean clothes to wear for training. He noticed Sakura wasn't awake either. He changed, brushed his teeth, and brushed his hair. Luckily he took a shower last night.

Cautiously he went to Sakura's door and knocked. There was no reply so he opened the door slowly. "Sakura." He called. There was a lump buried under the covers. He walked over to the bed and shook the lump. "Sakura, we have to go." he said firmly.

There was an exhausted moan and a hand came out to smack his away. "Tired." She mumbled sleepily.

"Come on. We have to get to training. Don't forget we're training with Gai's team and the sooner we get there, the fewer laps we have to run."

Sakura immediately sat up. She didn't want to run laps. She pushed past Sasuke and rushed to her dresser, obviously not aware of the fact that she was only in her bra and underwear. Sasuke looked over at her then turned away with a very faint blush. Although he had seen her in less, he couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable.

"What's your problem?" Sakura asked as she walked by him. Sasuke motioned to her body.

"Eeep!" She blushed as well and dashed to the bathroom.

No more than five minutes later, Sakura took the monitor off Sasuke and they were out the door. They ran to the normal meeting place, but found no one there.

"We'll check the training grounds." Sakura said and ran off, Sasuke close behind her. As she ran through the trees, a kunai whizzed past her head and connected into the tree a few yards away from her.

Sakura froze and looked in the direction the weapon came from. There stood a girl in a white Chinese shirt and baggy dark blue pants. Her brown hair was wrapped up in two buns. Her chocolate eyes gazed at Sakura in amusement and she smiled at her pink haired friend.

"Tenten!" Sakura said and rushed over.

"We were wondering if you two would come." Tenten said. "It's not like you to be late Sakura."

"Yeah, well I went to bed late and never set my alarm clock. Where's everyone else anyways?"

"Oh, well we were training together until Gai-sensei challenged Kakashi-sensei to a duel. So we kind of split and each of us are doing out own thing." Tenten began to walk back to where the group was and motion for Sakura to come. In turn, Sakura motioned for Sasuke, who rolled is eyes and walked with her.

The first thing Sakura saw was a green blur run by and stop by Naruto. Rock Lee stood there and Sakura smiled. It had been awhile since she saw the members of Team Gai (save for Neji) and she did miss them. Lee started talking to Naruto, and by the looks of it he was challenging him to something. Naruto accepted his challenge.

"Yosh! I am sure that I can beat you! The power of youth will prevail! I can do more push-ups than you my friend!" Lee yelled, his hand pumped into the air.

"Yeah right Bushy Brows! I can beat you!" Naruto yelled just as loudly. Both men dropped to the ground. One hand supported them as the other kept its place behind their backs.

"We have one minute to do as many push-ups as we can." Lee said. "Neji keep count for us."

"No." The Hyuuga said. He was staring straight forward, byakugan activated.

"Please Neji. It will not take long at all." Lee pleaded. Neji continued to stare in front of him and ignored his friend.

"Oh. Neji you are most definitely mean. Well, in that case…Sakura-chan!"

The boy jumped to his feet and rushed to meet the girl. Naruto growled. "What about our competition!" He shouted. The shouts went unheard and Lee engulfed the girl in a hug.

"It has been awhile Sakura-chan!" Lee cheered. Sakura returned his hug, smiling brightly.

"It has Lee. How are you?" She asked. He released her and flashed her a bright grin.

"I have been wonderful my blossom. The power of youth keeps me in good spirits. But now I am even happier since you are here." Sakura giggled.

"Well I missed seeing you. We really should get together sometime." She said. Lee face seemed to glow.

"Are you asking me on a date? I knew you would crack by my handsome features one of these days." Lee looked over her shoulder and noticed Sasuke. He felt slightly possessive at the moment. The Uchiha walked by the pair, walking close enough and brushed shoulders with Sakura. He never looked back as he walked to Neji and asked for a practice spar.

Sakura shot a cold look at the back of Sasuke. Why would he do that? Jerk.

"Hey Lee, do you think I could practice some taijutsu with you? I really need to work on it, so please?" she said cutely, knowing he wouldn't say no.

"Of course my angel! Let us get to it!" Lee said while dragging her off to a clearing. Tenten smirked at Sakura's surprised face as Lee dragged her off and shook her head.

Their training had gone of for close to an hour, and it was at that point that Kakashi and Gai decided to show up.

"Your youth is growing thin Kakashi!" Gai shouted triumphantly. Kakashi attempted to ignore him with his book, but the boisterous man beside him was too loud. "I beat you by two more than usual in jump-roping."

"Well Gai, some of us have lives and don't train at every moment of the day. Plus your smile blinded me, so I slowed down."

"Excuses, excuses. Your just getting old is all!" Gai said and slapped the copy nin on the back. Kakashi scowled behind his mask.

"Hn. You're older than me." Kakashi said. They reached the spot where they left their students to find only three of them there. Sakura was sparring against Lee while Naruto watched, seemingly waiting his turn.

"Sakura, where are the others?" Kakashi asked. The girl stopped mid kick and looked over at her former teacher.

"Sasuke and Neji are sparring. Tenten is doing some weapon practice over there." She said and pointed behind her. "And Sai is…um I haven't seen him."

"I'm up here." The boy said and jumped down from the tree branch he was on. He had of course his sketch book with him. "I was watching Ugly and Bushy Brows fight." He said blankly.

"Oh, well I guess you should find the others and tell them training is over. You can all leave if you want." Kakashi said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Hey! Kakashi I was about to challenge you to another round of rock, paper, scissors! I must have more wins over you!" Gai cried before disappearing in a blur.

"They are so competitive." Sakura said.

"It is so wonderful that there is so much youth burning in them! They are great rivals yet great friends! It is too cool!" Lee said with tears in his eyes. Naruto gave him a 'what the hell' look, while Sakura shook her head.

"Yeah, right Lee." She said before walking off. Tenten was walking back to the group as well.

"Was that Gai-sensei who was shouting?" she questioned. The girl finished putting her last senbon in her weapon pouch. She stopped when she met Sakura.

"Who else?" Sakura asked sarcastically. "He wanted to challenge his 'youthful' rival."

Tenten giggled at Sakura's words. Sakura joined in. She then noticed Neji and Sasuke walking back; both looking slightly tired and beat up.

"Most practice spars don't have people coming back looking like they just died." Tenten commented upon seeing the boys. Neither one of them said anything.

"Want me to heal that?" Sakura asked, looking at a nasty gash across Neji's thigh. Numbly he nodded, rather having her heal it then limping around all day, and being sent to the hospital by his uncle. "Sit then, it won't take long."

Neji complied with her command. It was strange having him take orders from someone and not being so prissy about it. He sat on the ground and outstretched his leg, hissing slightly at the pain. Sakura knelt down besides him and began to heal it.

Sasuke on the other hand, walked up to the brow eyes girl who was watching Neji, concern built up in her eyes. "Tenten." The girl looked over at Sasuke.

"Yes?" She asked, slightly startled that he was talking to her. She knew he was a man with little to no words, just like Neji. But she was used to Neji talking, only because she had been on his team for years. But hearing it from Sasuke was a bit weird.

"I wanted to know if you would go out with me tomorrow night. Just us."

An apocalypse has befallen on the world.

Tenten's eyes were so wide; they might have fallen out of her head if they weren't attached. She was rendered speechless. Sakura, who had heard what he said, stopped healing Neji's leg only after getting half-way through. The Hyuuga looked rather surprised as well, and glanced up at his teammate.

Tenten opened her mouth then closed it again. She looked down at Neji, almost as if she were silently pleading for help. But the pale eyes boy looked away and stood up, ignoring the pain in his half healed leg.

"I'm leaving." He said in a monotone voice. Sakura didn't even move. Her eyes were just as wide as Tenten's. There was nothing showing in her green orbs. They were blank. She was too shocked to feel anything.

"Well, I uh…um…" Tenten didn't even know how to answer. No, honestly she didn't want to go out with him. But she would feel bad for denying him. She didn't like being mean or rude to people, but still. Her eyes weren't set on Sasuke.

She liked Neji.

But the Hyuuga never did show any interest in her. Although what was that right there? Even though he looked like he didn't care, he just stood up and left. Could he be…angry? Maybe she could use this to make him jealous. Sasuke never asked her to date him. He just asked her out for one night. That's all.

"Well….sure. I'll go." she said shyly. Sasuke nodded.

"You think you could come to Sakura's, since I'm not allowed out by myself." He grumbled, sending a look towards the frozen girl. Sakura still hadn't moved.

"Sure. I'll be there around 7. Is that ok?"

"Hn."

If Sasuke language was anything like Neji language, then Tenten knew he meant yes. "Alright I'll see you tomorrow." She said hurriedly, not wanting to stay around for when Sasuke and Sakura spoke. If they did speak at all.

When Tenten disappeared, Sasuke walked to Sakura. "Let's go." he said to the girl. She looked up at him and nodded. Neither of them spoke on their way back to Sakura's house.

Standing not far from where the others were, Naruto had his hands balled into fists. He was glaring at the spot where Sasuke was. He shook slightly with anger.

"Bastard."

**Happy birthday Genma-kun! **

**Just understand that the pairings in the summary are the pairing that will be in the story. Like I said, I love big unexpected twists. **


	13. We're going camping!

**I know, I know. Big twist, threw everything off. ******** I couldn't help it! I love doing things like that! Makes the story more…interesting!**

**But now we will get to the explanation as to why Sasuke asked Tenten out. And no it was not to make Sakura jealous!**

**Disclaimer: I only own this story with the whacko twists and plot. I do no in fact own Naruto at all. **

It didn't surprise Sasuke that Sakura locked herself in her room. Sure he felt very slightly sorry for asking another girl out right in front of her, but what else was he going to do? He had his reasons for asking Tenten out and if he didn't do it then, he would have missed his chance.

He would explain things to Sakura later. Right now he had to finish getting ready.

Shutting the shower off, Sasuke groped outside of the curtains for a towel. He pulled the fluffy white cloth to him and dried off before wrapping it around his waist.

He pulled on a pair of dark blue faded jeans Sakura had bought him. They weren't as bad as he thought it would be. After putting on a white t-shirt and a blue button up shirt over that, he studied himself in the bathroom mirror. Sakura was good at picking out clothes that would look good on him.

After combing his damp hair, he managed to get it to spike up in the back. With one last look in the mirror he emerged from the bathroom to find Sakura sitting on the couch. He was amazed to find that she had left her room. Though she did look grim and had a carton of ice cream on her lap. It was quarter of seven, and he didn't even think she ate any dinner.

"Trying to spoil your dinner?" He asked the girl. She gave him a dark look. The evil eye.

Sakura just stood from the couch and retreated to her room. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, and no sooner had Sakura's bedroom door closed did the front door open.

There stood a boy, out of the bright orange ninja gear and into normal street clothes which consisted of long khaki shorts and a black t-shirt. His blond hair fell in front of his eyes since his headband was absent to hold it back. Those blue eyes looked into the room and looked angrily at the boy sitting on the couch.

"Teme." He growled.

He took long strides into the room and stood before the boy. "So you're going huh? How could you do that to her?" Naruto practically shouted. Sasuke shook his head.

"Want me to explain?" the dark boy asked. Naruto nodded furiously and sat by him on the couch. Sasuke sighed before continuing. "Well, I already told you about wanting to marry a girl before I restore my clan. I want to find the right person."

Naruto nodded. "So you're just going to blow Sakura-chan off? She really cares about you!" Naruto said and threw his hands in the air. Sasuke raised a hand to stop him.

"I never said I didn't take her into consideration. But I have to see who else it out there. I need a strong clan. Someone with special abilities, who will contribute to my clan."

"If you are trying to find a girl because of special ninja skills then I will never let you choose Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted once more. He had jumped off the couch and pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke. "You really are sick!"

"No I'm not. Besides special skills, I want to find someone that I know I can live with and care for."

"You can care for Sakura-chan!"

"I never said I couldn't did I? But like I said, I need to know who else is out there." Sasuke finished off. Naruto slowly sat back down, still glaring at the man.

"…Sasuke. Please, I really think you should know…Sakura-chan…she never gave up on you. I've seen her turn down so many guys I can't keep count. And every time…she said that she was waiting for someone. I know she was talking about you and it killed me. I knew I had to give up on her because she was too hung up on you. She would do anything…why do you think she's as strong as she is now? She asked for special training so she could be strong…for you. I just…do you think you could ever return her feelings?"

Naruto trailed off and waited for an answer. Just something…anything to give him a sign that he listened. But Sasuke was just staring at the floor, his lips unmoving. There was suddenly a knock at the door and Sasuke stood up. Naruto watched him get up and answer the door.

He opened it to find Tenten smiling timidly up at him. She was dressed simply in blue jeans and a light pink blouse. Her infamous hair buns sat upon her head, neatly tied tight.

"Hey." She said quietly. He nodded back to her.

"Let's go." Sasuke said. He shut the door and walked from the door, Tenten by his side.

In the house, Naruto stood off the couch and walked down the hallway. He knocked on Sakura's door. "Sakura-chan. It's Naruto. I'm coming in."

Naruto opened the door after hearing no protest and found the girl staring at the ceiling. She was still on her bed, her face blank. He slowly walked over to her bed and climbed onto the opposite side she was on. "You ok?" he asked.

"Naruto?" she started, still not moving. "Am I ugly?" she asked.

The blonde was slightly started by her question. "Of course not Sakura-chan! You're beautiful!" He cried truthfully. Sakura smiled.

"I know. I wanted to make sure." She rolled over on her side and looked longingly at her friend. "Then what's wrong with me?" she questioned. Naruto watched her with confused eyes.

"Nothing is wrong with you. If you're talking about Sasuke-teme, just forget about him. I'm sure one day he'll realize he's an idiot and fall head over heels for you!" Sakura giggled, her face scrunched up with amusement.

"Like that will ever happen." Sakura sighed rolled over onto her stomach, clutching her pillow in her arms. "Maybe I'm not his type? I don't even know why I care? I shouldn't still love him. Not after what he's done!" She buried her head into the pillow then, mussing up her pink locks.

"Sometimes…we can't help it Sakura. I know it's frustrating for you. Be glad you get to see the one you love though." Naruto replied sadly. Sakura suddenly felt bad. She sat up and flung her arms around the boy.

"I'm sorry. It must really be hard having to be separated from Hinata." She said. Naruto chuckled and returned the embrace.

"It's ok. I mean I do get to see her. And Neji's been a big help. I never though he'd help me see her ever."

"Well, sometimes the coldest people really are nice." Her words trailed off and a silence filled the room.

"Want to watch a movie while we wait for Emo boy to come back?" Naruto offered, stealing Sai's nickname.

Sakura smiled at her friend. Where would she be without Naruto?

**XxX**

It was about half past eight when the front door opened. Sasuke appeared looking as blank as ever. He was surprised to find that Naruto was still there, and that he and Sakura were now sharing the carton of ice cream she had been devouring before.

"Hey, how'd it go?" she asked as nicely as possible. Sakura had told herself to try and be nicer to the boy. She couldn't win him over if she was pushing him away could she? But of course she wouldn't resort back to clinging to him like when they were younger. That would be disastrous. She would be friendly and give him the space he liked.

"Hn. It was fine." Both Naruto and Sakura knew he wouldn't go into detail. That just wasn't Sasuke. So they would take his word and know that everything went well.

"Good, now come join us." Sakura said and motioned for Naruto to move over. She then sat herself in the middle of the couch and patted the seat next to her.

Sasuke was almost hesitant about joining them. Sakura was acting a bit too oddly. She was…too cheerful. Was she planning something? Would she jump him in his sleep?

As he took his seat he notice that the two were just flipping through random channels, trying to find what was best. Naruto had control of the remote and wouldn't allow a channel to stay on for more than four seconds. Sakura watched as small snippets of the stations flashed on, then off the screen. Sasuke was getting a headache.

He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. When he re-opened his eyes, there was a spoonful of creamy white ice cream in front of his face. He went crossed eyed looking at it.

"Want some?" Sakura offered as she held her spoon in front of him. He looked at it in slight disgust.

"I don't eat sweets." He said and turned away. Sakura, being the stubborn girl she was persisted.

"Come on! One bite that's all. It's really good and not terribly sweet." She pleaded.

Sasuke frowned. "No."

"Please?" she asked sweetly. A bit too sweetly. Too sweet for Sasuke's taste.

"I said no Sakura."

"Hmph." She slumped down into the couch and took the spoonful for herself. So much for being nice.

"It's getting late. I'm going to head out. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Naruto said. He handed the remote to Sakura and dropped his spoon off in the kitchen sink before leaving.

"See you Naruto." Sakura said and waved to him.

"Bye Sakura-chan. Bye Teme."

Sakura stood and walked into the kitchen to put the ice cream away. She washed the dishes in the sink from her's and Naruto's dinner, ramen of course. When she came back into the living room Sasuke wasn't there. She figured he was in the bathroom and sat back down the on the couch and scanned through some channels.

Sakura came to realize that there was nothing on TV, which didn't surprise her. There never was anything good on TV anymore. The bathroom door opened and Sasuke walked out, changed and all ready for bed in his black flannel pants. And nothing else.

Damn guy had to look good in whatever he wore right? Even if he was half naked!

"Sakura…" the girl looked up at him. "I think we should talk."

So the world really is going to end soon! She would have to check for pieces of the sky on the ground tomorrow. Or giant gaping holes of magma that might try to suck everyone in. Uchiha Sasuke first asking a girl out, now trying to have a conversation!

"O-ok." She stuttered. "What is it?"

Sasuke sat on the couch, slightly facing her. "About me asking Tenten out. I already explained to Naruto. But I think you should hear me out too, before you go along with any assumptions you came up with."

The girl snorted. She only assumed one thing…so what? She remained silent and waited for him to start.

"Like is said, I want to find someone to settle down with and restore my clan. But I need a strong kunoichi as well." Sakura fought off the urge to roll her eyes. She was strong right? Or did he think she was still the weak little girl who couldn't do anything.

"But I need to meet girls who I can also get along with. Someone I know I can take care of and possibly have feelings for."

That hurt. And once again she was assuming things. She was assuming that he was telling her she wasn't someone he could care for, or have feelings for. She moved towards the edge of the couch.

"I get it." she said quietly and began to stand. But a hand caught her wrist and forced her back down. Sasuke looked at her with serious eyes, trying to make her understand.

"No you don't get it." he said firmly. She turned her face away from the boy to hide her disappointment. "Look at me Sakura." He said.

Slowly she turned towards him. His eyes were narrowed and looking straight at her. "Did I ever once say that I didn't take you into consideration? No I didn't. I'm not promising that I will pick you for sure, but I'm not saying that you aren't a possibility either."

She hated it. The way he was talking made it sound like she was just an object that he could pick. She was just one in a big crowd of girls that he would pluck up and throw away or keep.

"I'm going to bed." She said harshly and stormed off. Damn Uchiha.

**XxX**

When Sakura woke up the next morning, she noticed two things. She was dead tired, no matter how much sleep she just got, and once she took one step out of bed…she was running to the bathroom.

After getting rid of what was in her stomach, she flushed the toilet and stood in font of the mirror. She could have sworn a vampire bit her last night and somehow fed her it's own blood. She was pale and dead looking.

Clutching her churning stomach, she wandered if it was safe for her to leave the bathroom. Luckily her stomach started to settle down and she left the room.

It was just after seven and she walked to the couch to wake Sasuke. She shook his shoulder. "Sasuke wake up." She said. His onyx eyes opened and the first thing he muttered was, "Are you ok?"

Sakura glared. "Shut it." she snapped. "I'm not feeling my best. I'm sure it'll pass."

Sasuke looked almost doubtful but sat up and stretched.

After both were ready to leave for training, Sakura took the monitor off Sasuke and locked her front door.

As the pair walked down the empty streets, Sasuke took a bite from his apple he grabbed before leaving and looked at Sakura out of the corner of his eye. He had to admit she didn't look the best. Must be too much stress.

"You think it was a good idea to skip breakfast?" He asked. Sakura shrugged it off.

"I'll be fine. I'm not really hungry this morning." She said.

Sasuke looked at her skeptically. "You not hungry? That's a shock. Still I don't think it was a good idea. You're a medic after all."

Sakura growled and took his apple. After taking a generous bite from it, she handed it back. "Happy?" she asked in between chewing. Sasuke frowned and looked down at his red apple.

"You ate my apple." He said.

"You were concerned."

It seemed like the wrong decision though. Once the apple hit her stomach she felt sick again. She tried to ignore it and act as normal as possible. He didn't need to care she was sick. This would just pass in a couple of days. She must have gotten it from work.

They reached their destination and both leaned against the railing of bridge, each on opposite sides. They were the first to arrive, but soon after Naruto and Sai both joined them. Now they had to wait for their lazy teacher.

"Just once you know. One day he could arrive early. It's not that hard." Naruto whined.

No one said anything else. There was a poof of smoke and a greeting of 'yo.'

"Oh don't 'yo' us! I bet you anything that you could never show up on time." Naruto said. He glared at the copy ninja, who stared back through half lidded eyes.

"That bet will have to wait till later Naruto. I have to inform you on something."

Naruto's attitude changed suddenly and he practically beamed. "What, what!? Do we finally get to go on a mission? What are we doing?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Calm down boy." Kakashi said with slight amusement. "It's not a mission per-say. But we are going somewhere. We'll leave in three days. The five of us are going to be joining the rest of the rookie 9 along with team Gai for a week away. The team leaders and I have discussed this over with Hokage-sama and she agrees."

Sasuke looked as if he wanted to say something but Kakashi beat him to it. "Yes even you Sasuke. Tsunade thinks this will be good for you. She said if you're a good boy then maybe you can earn some privileges back. I believe she said something about loosing the monitor." Sasuke looked happy. Or as close to happy as Sasuke could get.

"This will be a small camping trip to strengthen our teams together. I think we need it and the others have agreed. We'll stay out in the woods for a few days, and then as we head back we'll stay at a nice hot spring."

Naruto's face looked so joyful he practically glowed. Even Sasuke and Sai seemed to agree to this trip. Kakashi looked over at Sakura who was clutching the railing with all of her might. Small cracks were forming in the wood.

"Sakura. What do you say?" Kakashi asked. He couldn't help but feel concerned. He might have to talk with her again. Something was definitely wrong with her at the moment. The girl weakly nodded her head.

"Sounds great." She said. Sakura picked her head up and shook the pink hair out of her face. She smiled at her former teacher to show that she was alright.

"Good. Now let's get some training done."

**XxX**

Finally after waiting, Sakura got to fight with Sasuke. They had been sparring for almost half an hour already. Sakura was panting for breath as she dashed behind some brush. She knew it was hopeless to try and hide of the sharingan, but she had to catch her breath.

The sound of something whizzing though the air caused her eyes to widen and she jumped out of the way of the shruiken sailing towards her. She did a couple of back flips to prevent more from hitting her. Sasuke jumped in front of her and reached for more weapons.

As he did so, Sakura charged towards him, chakra pumping furiously in her clenched fist. She would hit him and send him flying for a change. Just as she was about to strike him, the boy jumped out of harms way.

Sakura was getting very tired. Her bodies movements seemed to slow down and her eyes began to droop. She was doing fine before? What was happening? Her fist connected to the ground and instead of creating a mass collision, she only managed to break a few pieces of the soft dir apart.

Sasuke sent more shruiken at her, but her body refused to react fast enough and the weapons sliced through her skin. Sasuke jumped down from the tree he was on and began to approach the girl. She wobbled slightly. Her legs were growing weak.

Sasuke watched and began to wonder what could be wrong with her. The girl didn't move, but instead used what was left of her energy to stay standing.

Sakura's vision became blurry. She stumbled a bit and her vision began to tunnel. The last thing she heard was the dim sound of Sasuke calling her name before she blacked out, falling into Sasuke's arms as the boy reached out to catch her.

**Oh cliffy! I'm so ebil…hence the name…lol. So I hope me explaining the whole Tenten thing helped. Until next chappie…which might take a bit. I'm going to the mall tomorrow to get the new Harry Potter book which I will be reading nonstop. But I'll make time to update this…**

**Ja ne! **


	14. New member of the family

**I have one thing to say…if you don't agree with what you are reading, or if you don't like how this story is turning out….don't read it. Simple as that…no matter what anyone says…I'm not changing a thing!**

**But for those of you who love this…thank you! You may think it's predictable…and basically all of you know what's happening to Sakura…but don't worry…I don't write anything predictable. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I would not be living on a horse farm in the middle of nowhere in Ney York, separated from my friends. Just so you know…**

It had been two days since Sakura passed out during training and it was the day before they left on their trip.

When Sakura woke up after falling unconscious, she saw the worried face of Naruto and the unreadable face of Sasuke above her. Once they saw she was ok, Sasuke moved away and Naruto pulled her into a hug. Kakashi instructed Sasuke to walk her home, but Sakura argued that she was fine.

But arguing with Kakashi was like trying to push a mountain. He just wouldn't budge. So she gave up and went home.

Her sickness didn't give up on her though. She continued to get sick in the morning, and feel pretty ok for the rest of the day. Sometimes when she tried to eat something, it wouldn't stay down. Other times she would get terribly hungry.

"Sakura you're coming over today right?"

"Yes. Don't worry I'll be there Ino."

So now, she was on her way to her friends shared apartment. Ino had insisted that Sakura do a check up on her to make sure everything in her pregnancy was going smoothly. Sakura had some of her own medical supplies that she could use to perform the check up.

She knocked on the front door before opening it and entering the home. She had a habit of walking in without asking permission. She just knocked to signal she was coming in.

"Ino! I'm here!"

She suddenly cursed her bad habit. A blush crept onto her face as she noticed her two friends making out on the couch. Ino straddled Shikamaru's waist, and as Sakura called out she immediately jumped off of him, her hair slightly disheveled and her lips kiss swollen. Shikamaru closed his eyes and ran his hands over his red face.

Sakura's blush intensified. "Bad timing?" She asked. Ino glowed and got off of Shikamaru.

"I'd say." She grumbled. "Let's get this check-up going."

"Right." Sakura said and shifted her bag of medical supplies on her shoulder.

Ino sat on the couch and Shikamaru placed his legs over her lap, his head resting on his arms that were behind his head. Sakura kneeled in front of her friend and opened her bag. She took out the supplies she needed and looked up into annoyed blue eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I was enjoying myself." Ino growled. Sakura hastily averted her eyes from the blonde and rummaged through her bag some more. She pulled out her blood pressure meter (what are they called? I'm to busy to check) and stood up.

"Hold out your arm." She instructed to Ino. The girl held out her right arm and Sakura latched the velcro. She took out her stethoscope and placed it in her ears while placing the other end just under the strap at the junction of her elbow.

After deflating the strap when she was finished, she took the stethoscope out of her ears. "Your blood pressure is slightly higher than normal, but that's common for pregnant woman."

After taking her temperature, which turned out to be normal as well and finishing a few other tests, Sakura packed up her bag. "I need you to lay down Ino." She said.

Ino nodded and motioned for Shikamaru to sit up. He sighed detestably and complied. Ino rested her head in his lap and smiled up at his scowling face.

"Alright, take off your shirt." Sakura said blankly. Ino gaped and glared at the pink haired nin.

"Ok, why?" Ino asked.

Sakura frowned. "Because I need to check your stomach and I want to do a scan over the baby." She said. Ino sat up on her elbows.

"Ok, then why don't I just pull my shirt up, instead of taking it off." Ino asked, her brows scrunched up with confusion.

"You can't tell me you're uncomfortable by taking your shirt off in front of me or your boyfriend." Sakura said. She kneeled by the side of the couch and waited for her friend to remove her blue t-shirt.

"No I'm not. I'm just wondering why I can't just pull it up instead of taking it off. It would be easier."

"Because I have to check your breasts as well. Make sure everything is fine with them. Since you're pregnant, you'll start producing milk, and your breasts will start to swell, but that won't happen for a while. Depending on far along you are." Sakura said in an as a matter of fact tone. Ino couldn't hide her light blush and Shikamaru looked as though he would like to leave.

Ino sat up more and removed her shirt, showing off her flat stomach. She laid back down on the couch, her head once again in Shikamaru's lap. Sakura moved so she was leaning over Ino and started applying pressure to Ino's stomach, pushing on it on certain spots.

"Does this hurt?" Sakura asked as she pushed on each spot. Ino would either nod or shake her head.

"A bit, not too much."

"Good." Sakura said. She performed a few hand sign and her hands began to glow a dull green. She placed them on her friend's stomach and moved them around. She could feel it. It was faint, but there was a different source of chakra. It wasn't Ino's…it was the baby's.

"The baby is fine. I can feel its chakra. It faint, but its there. Usually it takes about three weeks before it starts and is detectable." Sakura said.

"Ok, one last thing then I'll do a bit of pregnancy explaining." She said. Ino watched as her friend brought one of her glowing hands up to her chest. It was terribly awkward as Sakura checked over her breasts. Mainly because she had never had her friend grabbing at her chest. Only one other person has done that…and she wouldn't go into detail.

"Tense enough Ino?" Sakura asked with a smirk on her face. It wasn't as bad for her, but it was awkward for her whenever she had to do it. Ino was her friend at least. It was more uncomfortable when she was with a stranger.

"Shut up and hurry up." Ino spat. There was a chuckle from above her and she glared at her boyfriend. "Something funny?" she asked with false sweetness.

Shikamaru stopped laughing. "Yup." He said teasingly.

"All done." Sakura said. The glow of her hands faded and she stood up off of her knees. She arched her back and stretched. Pushing Ino's feet of the end of the couch, she ignored the heated glare she received and sat down. Ino rearrange herself and Shikamaru so she was nestled between his legs and facing her friend.

"Alright, you and the baby are in good health Ino. And as far as I can tell, with your symptoms, you're about two and a half months along. So you're halfway through the first trimester." She said. "The morning sickness will stay with you for a while. And your appetite will increase, although I'm sure it's already started. Your breast should start swelling within the third month. And they will be soar." Sakura said. Ino groaned.

"Sounds like fun." She mumbled sarcastically.

"You'll manage. I just want you to know, you really have to take it easy. The first trimmest is the most fragile stage of pregnancy and also into the second trimester. Now, also, mood swings." She said, mainly to Shikamaru. "They can get intense. So be careful about what you say to her." Shikamaru nodded.

"I already do." He said. Sakura grinned.

"Well, anyways. As you get farther along, your morning sickness will start to fade. In the second trimester it will fade and eventually disperse. Also…" she started. Sakura paused before opening her mouth. "You'll start to put on more weight in the second trimester."

"You mean I'll get fat?" Ino said darkly. She had a grim look on her face as she glared at Sakura.

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Yeah." She said quietly. "But also, your stomach will start to show." Ino frowned. She knew that she couldn't hide this pregnancy for too long. But she was afraid to let people know. What would they think of a teenaged unmarried girl getting pregnant?

"Now, I also want to make sure that you'll pay close attention to what you eat. You need to have a balanced healthy die Ino. Lots of fruits and veggies, and plenty of dairy as well. It's really important. You have to watch her as well Shikamaru." She said firmly. The pair nodded.

"We get it billboard brow." Ino said.

"I'm just making sure. I have to go. I'm getting food to take with us tomorrow. I'm not going to sit at camp listening to Naruto complain about not having ramen. And I want to make sure we'll all have something to eat." Sakura said as she stood up.

"Oh! Grab me some stuff too! You know what I like!" Ino said excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah." Sakura said as she put her sandals on.

"And don't forget the frosted animal crackers!" Ino shouted as Sakura closed the door.

Ino sighed and fell back onto Shikamaru. She turned over and rested her cheek on his chest. "We have a problem." She said.

Shikamaru, who had his eyes closed, opened one and glanced down at the blonde. "I know. You're pregnant." He said. Ino shook her head, knowing he was joking.

"People will notice. We can't keep it a secret forever." Ino mumbled. Her arms moved and encircled Shikamaru. She closed her eyes. "Plus, I'm afraid to tell my parents."

Shikamaru's face paled. If and when Inoichi found out, Shikamaru could guarantee he wouldn't live for a very long time. He gulped slightly. The man was always extremely protective of his only child.

"Let's please not think about that at the moment." Shikamaru said.

**XxX**

"Come here you."

Sakura was on her way to the store, but while walking by an alley way she heard something. A mewling noise. Curiosity always won Sakura over and she walked into the alley. Looking around the crates and boxes piled up, she saw a small white fluffy kitten. When she approached it though, the small critter crawled under the boxes.

Sakura looked around and found no sign of an owner. The thing had looked terribly small and could only be a few weeks old. It wasn't uncommon to find stranded animals around the village.

Moving some of the boxes around, Sakura found the kitten curled up in its own defense. The poor thing probably didn't even know how to defend itself, having never been taught properly.

Stretching her hand out, Sakura went in to take hold of the ball of fluff, but as she did it gave a sharp hiss and backed away. Sakura brought her hands back slightly, but wasn't about to give up. She reached out again and the kitten hissed once more.

Sakura then grabbed the kitten by the scruff of it's neck and picked it up. It struggled slightly, it's sharp claws out. Sakura held it out away from her, waiting for it to calm down.

"Calm down sweetie." She said softly. Luckily no one had walked by the alley way and was thinking she was trying to murder the poor thing. The kitten continued to thrash about and hiss.

She tried moving her other hand around to stroke it, but it's claws dug into her hand. She pulled away with a hiss of pain, but didn't give up. Once again she moved to stroke the kitten, and finally she was able to move her hand over it's back.

She brought the kitten in closer to her. It's hissing died down to small grows. It stopped struggling and allowed her to pull it into her chest. Every now and then it gave a warning growl, but Sakura continued to stroke the small beast.

"You're feisty." Sakura said with a giggle. The growls finally died down, but she could feel the kitten shake with fear. She continued to say soft comforting words and even used a bit of her soothing chakra that she normally used to calm tense muscles in her patients as she pet the cat. It's small green-yellow eyes looked up her, widened in terror. She smiled back down.

"It's alright. I'll keep you safe." She whispered. Sakura stood and walked out of the alley way and back into the streets. She walked down in the direction of the market area. She couldn't keep walking around with a kitten, but she had to get food. And now, she obviously needed cat food as well.

She entered the market area where different stands of foods and goodies were set up. It was very busy and multiple people crowed the streets. She squinted in the bright afternoon sun.

The kitten seemed to start struggling a bit as the noise from many different people filled it's ears. It started to shake once more. Sakura stroked it softly.

"Hey Sakura!" A voice boomed from behind her. She turned around quickly and a bright smile adorned her face.

"Kiba!" There stood a boy in his black ninja gear smiling at her. His hand rested on top of his companion Akamaru's head. The giant white dog gave a bark of greeting.

"What are you doing here?" Kiba asked after the girl gave him a half hug. She had wrapped one arm around him while still holding onto the kitten with the other.

"Getting food for tomorrow. And now I need cat food." She said and motioned to her new pet. "It's actually good that I found you. Is Hana around?" She asked.

Kiba nodded. "She's at my house." Kiba said. He looked down at the small white fluff ball in Sakura's arms as it watched Akamaru curiously. The dog in turn moved forward and gave it a small sniff. "I'll take you there." He said.

"Well, I have to shop. If you can survive an afternoon with me, then I'll go with you." She said and walked off to various stands. Kiba followed along with her.

"I think I can live." He said smugly. Sakura shook her head and shifted the kitten in her arms. Kiba looked down at the thing, his nose scrunched up. "Where did you find it?" He questioned.

Sakura frowned. Kiba had never liked cats. "Well I found it in an alley way. It was all alone and no one was around. So I thought I would pick it up. I guess I'll ask around, but if no one claims it I'm going to keep it." She said. "I've always wanted a kitten."

"I know you have." Kiba said back. Sakura giggled.

"Yeah, but you would never let me get one! Said that I shouldn't and that they probably wouldn't get along with Akamaru."

"Well, you can get one now. I only said that back then…when we…uh yeah." Kiba shut up immediately and Sakura preoccupied herself with picking up snacks. That was something they didn't talk of.

"Ok. Let's go, I have to get things for this little one. And don't let me forget frosted covered animal crackers." Sakura said.

Kiba watched her retreat with a confused face. "Frosted covered….what?"

**XxX**

Kiba shifted the bags of food and supplies in his arms. Sakura had given him the duty of carrying the bags since she had her kitten. Akamaru also had a plastic bag, the handle in his mouth as it dangled between his legs.

"We'll just drop these off and we can go to your house." Sakura said. She walked to her front door and opened the door.

Kakashi was sitting on the couch, reading the new Icha Icha novel. He looked over his shoulder as Sakura and Kiba walked into the door.

"Put them in the kitchen." Sakura instructed Kiba. The boy motioned for Akamaru to follow him as the two disappeared into the kitchen. Sakura walked around the couch and carefully sat down.

"Look what I found." Sakura said cheerfully, showing the snow white kitten to Kakashi. He looked at it blankly.

"Cute." He said. He reached out to scratch it. It was sleeping before, but woke up as they entered Sakura's house. It shrank down as Kakashi's hand reached out. Kakashi was cautious as he scratched the small pet.

"All set." Kiba said as he walked back into the room. He stood behind the couch and waited for Sakura.

"Where's Sasuke?" Sakura asked. She noticed she wasn't around. But Kakashi was responsible. He wouldn't let Sasuke just leave. And he had the monitor, so he couldn't leave.

"I believe he went into your room." Kakashi said, flipping the page in his book. Sakura looked at him, her jaw hanging.

A door opened from down the hall and Sasuke emerged, rubbing his eyes. He had his sweatpants and a t-shirt on; his hair was slightly messed up.

"I take it you were sleeping?" Sakura asked. She knew Sasuke had enough respect and wouldn't go through her things. That just wasn't what he was like.

Sasuke nodded sleepily. He sent a look at Kiba, as if asking what he was doing there. Kiba looked away and started petting Akamaru. Sasuke yawned and walked into the kitchen. "Well, I'm sure you don't mind staying here a bit more right Kakashi? Help yourself to anything you want." She said as she stood up. Sakura popped her head into the kitchen to find Sasuke heating water for some tea.

"I'm sure you don't mind putting the cold stuff I bought away Sasuke? You can leave the other stuff out; I have to pack it for tomorrow. Thanks."

Sasuke wasn't able to say a word as the girl disappeared. "Let's go Kiba." She said.

**XxX**

"Hi Hana." Sakura said as she walked into the Inuzuka kitchen besides Kiba. The brunette looked up from her tea and smiled.

"Sakura. It's been a while since I've seen you in my house. What brings you here?" She said. Sending a questioning look at Kiba, she received no reaction as the boy as he walked over to the counter.

"Want some tea Sakura?" Kiba asked.

"No thanks. I shouldn't stay long." She said. Sakura took a seat at the table besides Hana and displayed the small kitten she found.

"I found a little friend today. I was wondering if you could check it over, make sure nothing is wrong with it." Sakura asked. Hana took the kitten into her arms and it started to struggle once more.

"It's really feisty." Sakura said as she watched the kitten struggle. Hana started to stroke it, tempting it to calm down.

"Hm. I see. I'll check it over for you. Mind if I keep it for the night? I can bring it to you tomorrow morning." Hana offered as she started inspecting the kitten. It growled at Hana.

"Actually, would you be able to keep it for the week. I'm going on the same trip Kiba is tomorrow and I don't want to leave it alone in my house." She said.

"Of course. I'll make a medical record for it and give it the vaccinations it needs." Hana said. The small kitten mewled as Hana scratched it behind it's ears. Sakura stood up from her seat.

"Thanks so much. I really need to get going, so I'll see you when I get back. And I'll see you tomorrow Kiba." Sakura said with a wave. Kiba waved over his shoulder, but didn't say a word to the girl.

Hana watched as her brother moved to the table and sat down. He looked slightly gloomy as he sipped his tea.

"Everything ok?" Hana asked. She sent him a worried look but Kiba ignored it.

"Fine." He grumbled in reply.

"You're not fooling me. Is it Sakura?" Hana asked. She set the kitten on the table and watched as it took small steps and glanced around the room. It walked over to the dark haired boy and started to sniff at his tea. Kiba grimaced at the small creature.

"Nothing is wrong. Why would there be?" He said grimly before standing up from the table. He grabbed his tea cup from under the kitten's nose and stormed off to his room.

**XxX**

When Sakura opened her front door, she was greeted with a peculiar sight. Kakashi wasn't in the living room, and Sasuke was lounging back into the arm of the couch. He had a book in his hands, but he was holding it awkwardly. She held it at arms length and his brows were scrunched up as he looked over the text.

Sakura noticed it was Kakashi's book. She watched the changing expressions on the boys face. She didn't dare to move, not knowing if Sasuke knew she was there or not. Suddenly his eyes grew wide. Then they narrowed. He pulled the book closer to him, as if he were examining something.

"Interesting?" Sakura didn't say this but Kakashi who had emerged form the bathroom. He smirked behind his mask as Sasuke tossed the book from him and it landed on the floor with a thud.

"How the hell do you find that worth reading?" Sasuke asked. He shook his head up at his former teacher. Kakashi ignored his words and picked his book up.

"I guess you just can't handle the mature ways of adults. Now since Sakura's home I can leave. I just hope Genma hasn't destroyed our home. The man just can't cook." Kakashi said and left the building.

"I'm sure you had fun with him the whole day." Sakura said in amusement. "It got that bad that you opened his book?"

"Humans are curious. I wanted to see what was so captive with him reading those things." Sasuke said passively. Sakura sat on the couch next to him and leaned back into it.

"Did you find what was so captive about it?" She questioned while closing her eyes.

"….Nope."

There was a draw out silence between the two. Sakura was doing a lot of thinking. She had come up with a plan for something. But she needed Sasuke's help. She needed his abilities.

"Sasuke, I was wondering if you could do me a favor." She said.

"Which would be?" He asked.

Sakura almost hesitated before answering. "I need you to use your sharingan. On me. Just look at my stomach and tell me if you see anything. It's…a test that…um…Tsunade-sama asked me to do. I can't go into detail, but she asked me to do it."

Sasuke was skeptical. "What should I be looking for?" His eyes narrowed as the girl rubbed the back of her head.

"Trust me; you'll know if you see it." She said. "Just please, we can d it quickly. I really need this done." Sakura pleaded. Sasuke sighed. He closed his eyes and when they re-opened, they were red. They scanned over her body and down her stomach. Sakura sat upright her stomach was showing better.

But Sasuke didn't see anything wrong. Everything was normal with her. "Should I be seeing something?" he asked.

"Uh…well we don't know. Tsunade-sama said you may see something, or you may not. Do you mean you can't see anything?"

"No." he replied.

"Nothing abnormal? Nothing…different?"

"Nothing."

"Alright you can stop. Thanks for that. I'll be right back." She said quickly and left the room. Sakura rushed down the hall and entered her bedroom. She stood in front of the mirror that hung above her dresser.

So there was nothing wrong with her. She could have sworn…but no! She couldn't pregnant. It had been three weeks since the accident with Sasuke. The sharingan could see colors of chakra and if she was indeed pregnant, he would be able to see it. He would know that there was a baby growing inside of her. She suddenly felt free. Like this burden was gone. Maybe her sickness she had been having was from some other thing. Like the stomach bug.

Besides, pregnant woman usually didn't start morning sickness until about seven weeks after pregnancy. So there was no way she could be pregnant.

Sakura smiled. She wasn't going t have a baby.

After changing into her pajama bottoms and her black tank top, she walked out of her room and back into the living room. Sasuke looked bored as he flipped through the TV channels.

"Really, was I supposed to see anything?" He questioned once more as Sakura sat down. The girl shook her head.

"No. I don't think so."

"Hn."

Sasuke wasn't sure whether to buy it or not. Maybe he should just let the whole thing go. Who knows what kind of weird things the Hokage asked her apprentice to do? But…oddly enough, Sakura seemed to be in a good mood mow…for some reason.

**Ok, I'm sure a lot of you are like…WHAT!? Don't worry. I'm as crazy as a walnut and this story will be as twisty as a salted baked pretzel. Hahahahha! I will torture these poor people! Review me please! They are very nice to read. **


	15. Camp retardo

**Goodness. Like I have said…if you tell me not to do something…I will not listen. For the last time…don't like what is happening, then don't read. **

**Now, I'm here to save you all from falling off the cliff. **

**Disclaimer: Deidara can't be dead! If I owned Naruto…I wouldn't have killed him. Opps, sorry for those who didn't know. **

**And just so you all know…Asuma is alive in my fanfic. I was devastated when they killed him and I refuse to have him dead in my story. So he is alive and still in charge of the InoShikaCho trio. **

Someone must have drugged him.

"Sasuke."

She shook his shoulder a bit harder. He grunted and rolled over. Sure it was early in the morning, earlier than normal when she woke him. But he didn't want to move.

"Sasuke. Come on, we have to get ready to go."

He ignored her.

Thwack!

Sasuke growled. He rubbed his head where the pillow came in contact with his forehead.

"You didn't have to hit me that hard." He grumbled. Sakura left him and walked into the kitchen.

"You wouldn't wake up." She shouted to him. Sasuke sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was only six in the morning. The group was leaving at seven thirty. He grabbed his normal ninja gear to change into and Sakura emerged from the kitchen with a steaming cup of tea.

"There's more tea if you want some." She said rather cheerfully. Normally she wasn't a morning person, but she was in high spirits for some reason. Sasuke scowled at her cheerfulness. What happened to her being all pissed at him?

He rubbed the back of his neck. His neck and back were getting soar from sleeping on the couch. He was used to having a nice bed to sleep in, except for when he was searching for Itachi. But his body wasn't used to sleeping in the confined placement and started to ache.

"What's wrong?" he heard Sakura ask.

"Nothing." He muttered and walked past her to go to the bathroom. He didn't need her to worry over him.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the bathroom door. All she was trying to do was be nice to him. All he was trying to do was be an ass. Although he didn't have to try to do that. He was a natural. She'd give him a medal for that later.

Sitting on her bed now clad in her ninja attire, Sakura was shuffling through her bag she had packed the previous night. She checked over everything to make sure she didn't forget anything.

"Sakura! Where is my razor?"

Oh, it was always priceless to hear Sasuke shouting for help, even if it was for something as petty as his razor. He used it to shave every morning. But on this particular morning, Sakura found it to be in her way and placed it in the medicine cabinet, right next to the toothpaste.

With a sigh she stood off her bed and walked to the bathroom. The door was open and she found Sasuke shuffling through the cabinets under the sink. Luckily she packed her personal things before he went searching for his razor.

She pushed past him and opened the small cabinet on the wall and extracted his black razor. She smiled smugly as he took it from her.

"You moved it." he accused and Sakura nodded.

"Yes I did." She took the toothpaste out as well and grabbed her tooth brush.

The small bathroom seemed to shrink even more as the pair stood side by side in front of the mirror. Quick glances at each other through the mirror were exchanged occasionally.

Sasuke finished brushing his own teeth and took his toothbrush with him and left. It was like a breath of fresh air when he did for both of them. The bathroom seemed to squeeze the two together, making them both slightly uncomfortable.

Half an hour later, both were all set to go. After double checking everything, Sakura grabbed her bag with her clothes, and the extra with the food and supplies she bought.

"Let's go then."

**XxX**

"Ohayo Sakura-chan!"

"Ohayo Naruto."

"Ohayo Sai!"

"Ohayo Sai."

"Morning."

"Ohayo Teme!"

"…….."

"I said good morning!"

"I didn't say anything."

"You're a grumpy morning person." Naruto said with a frown. Sasuke ignored the boy and took notice to the others. It was agreed that they would all meet at the village gates.

Kurenai and Asuma were being greeted by Sakura. Tenten pushed away from the edge of the opened gate and walked over to Sakura. There were shouts of 'youth' from behind and he could only guess who they belonged to.

"What's wrong with you Ino?" Naruto asked loudly. The light haired blonde was clutching Shikamaru's arm as they walked in to join the group. Choji walked besides then, surprisingly with no food in hand.

"Do you want to die?" Ino hissed. She shut her eyes and leaned against Shikamaru. Her face was pale and she didn't look all to well.

"Well sorry for showing some concern." Naruto said in an offended tone. Ino simply ignored him and took a deep breath.

Sakura excused herself from Tenten's side and advanced towards her friend. "How is she this morning?" she whispered to Shikamaru.

"She seemed fine when we got out of bed." He whispered back. "But when I offered her an orange, she was running to the bathroom. Troublesome. I don't know what the others will think if she's rushing off to be sick all the time."

Sakura flashed him a sympathetic smile. "We'll think of something." She said. She glanced around and noticed the worried look Ino was receiving from her former teacher. "You haven't told anyone else I presume." She said.

Shikamaru shook his head.

"Hinata-chan!" There was an audible gasp and a thump as the orange clad ninja basically tackle the heiress who had just arrived with Neji. The force of Naruto's hug sent them both to the ground. Neji shook his head and retreated as fast as he could and stood alongside Sasuke. It was comforting that he knew Sasuke wouldn't try to talk to him.

"Naruto-k…" she was cut off by the blue eyed boy who couldn't resist giving her a chaste kiss. He was so overjoyed that he would have a week to spend with her and not worry about her father killing him. He broke apart to see her very red face flush with embarrassment. He picked himself up and helps her up as well.

"Sorry Hinata-chan. I couldn't resist." He said while rubbing the back of his neck. Both of them ignored the two green blurs that rushed by at the moment.

"It's ok." She said softly and picked her bag up off the ground. Naruto took it from her hands.

"I'll carry that for you." He said with a bright smile. Hinata smiled back and thanked him.

"Tenten! How is our youthful blossom on a beautiful day like this? Are you ready for this youthful trip that will certainly help all of us come closer as a team?" Gai shouted as he approached his only female teammate. The girl smiled sheepishly and replied with a short "um…yeah." She hurriedly scampered off to Neji's side.

"I still wonder how I am stuck with such odd teammates." Neji said as he watched Gai and Lee do a double cheer.

"That better not have included me." Tenten said warningly. She gave Neji a stern look that went unnoticed by her crush.

"Maybe it did." He said simply and crossed his arms over his chest. Sasuke who was standing not far from them looked over at the green beast pair and thanked all the gods he ended up on the team he had.

Although, when he looked over at his current teammates…that was another story. Sai was saying something that had gotten Naruto and Sakura riled up. A string of profanity fell from Naruto's mouth which caused his girlfriend to say something to him. Sakura repeatedly smacked Sai over the head with his own sketch book.

Sasuke watched as Shino and Kiba joined the group. Sakura seemed to cheer up at the sight of Kiba and rounded on Akamaru who instantly sprang up and licked her face.

He could have been on their team. Shino was nice and kept to himself. Hinata was fine as well. He wouldn't have to worry about being pelted in the head for everything he said at least. And Kiba…he was like Naruto. And if he had survived with Naruto thus far, Kiba wouldn't have been a problem.

As Sakura gave Kiba a hug, he couldn't help his curiosity. Something had obviously gone on between the two of them while he was gone. She had never been this friendly with him. Even though she was friendly with everyone who was part of the Konoha eleven, she seemed cheery with him. The girl smiled and rounded on Shino, who seemed taken aback. Sasuke watched as she opened her mouth and said something to him, most likely a greeting.

Hm. Maybe Naruto would know something? Of course, asking the blonde Hokage wannabe would ensure a dose of accusations that he was jealous. Because he wasn't. He wasn't jealous. He was just curious.

"All we need now is Kakashi." Kurenai said. Asuma looked down at his watch.

"It was his idea for this, yet he's the one that's late." Asuma said. "Anyone want to volunteer to go find him? I'm sure one of his teammates would."

Sakura shrunk away, Sasuke stared at the light blue and purple hue of the morning sun, Naruto dropped to the ground claiming he lost his contact.

All heads turned to Sai.

The boy sighed. "Fine." He said. The infamous sketch book was opened in his hands and he began to write in it.

"I don't think you can through a ball of paper and hope it finds Kakashi." Naruto said as he watched the boy write the message. Sakura peered over his shoulder.

"Hurry up you lazy ass scarecrow." Sakura read out loud. She sweatdropped as Sai finished the message. The boy made a hand sign and the words seemed to peel off the paper. They were suspended in air before joining together and morphing into a sparrow.

"Go find Kakashi." He told the bird. It gave a sharp chirp before flying off. "He'll get the message." Sai confirmed.

It was true. Five minutes later Kakashi arrived and waved in greeting to the other shinobi. "Sorry, couldn't find my lucky sock."

"He lies!" Naruto shouted. Kakashi looked as though he could beat the kid, but smiled anyways.

"Well now that we're all here, we can set out. We'll be heading southeast. The area is about two hundred and fifty km from here. If we keep a steady pace going, we'll get there in no time." Kurenai said. She shifted her bag strap on her shoulder and stepped forward.

"Alright! Let's go!" Gai shouted. The group sprinted forward and disappeared into the trees.

**XxX**

"It's ten thirty." Asuma said. "We could have made it here earlier."

"I said I'm sorry!" Naruto wailed. "It was an accident! I swear someone made that tree branch grow out of nowhere! It wasn't there when I looked forward, then I look back and it was just…there."

"Don't worry about it Naruto." Kakashi said. "You're just lucky Sakura was there to fix you're broken wrist after you fell." The blonde set his bag down and twisted his right hand around. When he fell out of the tree, he landed on his hand and broke his wrist. Sakura had come to his rescue and fixed it.

"Whatever. We're here, let's set up our camp." Kurenai suggested. She set her pack down. "Shino did you bring the tent?"

"Hn." Shino adjusted his sunglasses and set down one of his two bags. He opened the one and began to take the tent out.

Naruto physically paled. "I forgot the tent." He cried loudly and began to frantically search through his bag.

"We figured you would stupid." Sai said. He set down his things and began to pull the tent poles out. "Ugly told me to bring mine for us."

"Sai." Sakura said threateningly. She really couldn't stand the nickname. But no matter how hard she tried to beat it out of him, it just wouldn't work.

"Kakashi! I'm sure my well trained, and not to mention youthful team, can beat your pathetic students! We shall have a competition to see which team can set their tent up the fastest if you will. My win count with soar over yours! I will prove that I am better than you! Lee, are you ready to help me here?"

"Yosh! Gai-sensei! I will do whatever it takes to help you towards victory! We shall not be defeated!" Lee hollered and took hold of the tent poles. His eyes burned with determination as he and Gai began to frantically set their tents up, shouting commands and word of encouragement to each other.

Neji stood back, while Tenten (who was going to help before the competition) backed away to Neji's side.

"Are we the only sane ones?" She asked Neji. The pale eyed boy put a hand to his forehead and shook his head, never answering the girl.

They both watched as Lee began to rush over to Gai. Unfortunately, he slipped on the tent fabric and fell to the ground. While lying flat on his back he pumped a fist into the air and cried, "The un-youthful gods are against us Gai-sensei! They are challenging us!"

Ino was looking over her shoulder at the pathetic sight and mindlessly walked forward. She froze when Lee slipped once more and crashed into Gai, sending them both to the ground, successfully snapping one of the poles in half. "Get an extra Lee!"

"Ino, as much as I love you, I do not love the fact that you have a tent pole jammed into my back." Shikamaru said. He was holding one of the poles in place as Asuma beat the stake into the ground to hold it in place.

"Oh, sorry." She said.

"Ino, hold this side." Choji said as he attempted to put the stake in the ground and keep the pole standing up. The girl rushed over to his side.

"There." Kurenai said. Her team had finished their tent and finished attaching the rain cover over top. She looked around and observed the others. Asuma and his team were doing fine. Kakashi's team…might need some help. There were small petty arguments and plenty of glares.

Then with Gai, he and Lee were doing their best to put it up the fastest which wasn't the best way. Neji and Tenten stood clear of them.

"Should we help?" she questioned the other three.

"Nope." Kiba said and smirked as he watched others. He was lucky to have the team that got along.

Finally the other teams were able to construct their own tents. Neji and Tenten had taken pity on their teammates and took over for them.

"I'm sure this will be great." Sakura said to the others she was with. Her along with Hinata, and Kiba were given the duty of getting water.

"Right. Kurenai said this whole thing was for bonding with our teammates and taking a break from missions." Kiba said from atop of Akamaru. The large white dog gave a sudden bark. "You hear it too huh?" Kiba said to his companion.

"What is it Kiba?" Hinata asked.

"I can hear a waterfall. It's not far from here. Think you can spot it Hinata?" He asked. Akamaru had changed direction to where he could hear the water.

"Byakugan." Hinata said. The veins appeared along her face as she scanned the area. "It's not far from here. Akamaru is going in the right direction. It's a nice water hole." She said.

True to her words, the three emerged to a clearing where a water hole sparkled in the sun. A tall waterfall cascaded down to the surface and caused ripples to dance along the clear blue water. Many different flowers of all colors and kinds waved in the soft breeze.

"It's so pretty." Sakura said in awe. She advanced forward and kneeled down at the edge of the water. "We have to come back later. It seems like a nice place to swim." She said.

Akamaru edged to the surface beside her and began to drink the water. Kiba and Hinata came up along her other side and scooped the water into their buckets.

They finished their task and began to head back to the camp. Hinata and Kiba were both carrying two buckets. Kiba was walking besides Akamaru who had a bucket in his mouth. Sakura on the other hand, had four buckets, two in each hand.

"You sure you got that?" Kiba asked unsure of her. Sakura gave him a reassuring smile.

"I've got it." she said, using her chakra to keep the two heavy buckets steady. "I'm strong. If I can break boulders with my finger, I can carry four buckets of water." She said with a triumphant smirk, her eyes closed.

Kiba gave her a strange look, and Hinata gave her a simple smile. There was a small squeak and Kiba looked down at the ground to see Sakura soaking wet, both buckets empty. She had tripped over a tree root. He let out a chuckle and opened his mouth to say something, but Sakura stopped him.

"Don't say anything." she growled. He closed it again and set one of his buckets down and held a hand out to help her. With his help she stood up. "I think we need to go back." She said. Kiba nodded, not able to take his eyes off the girl. Her soaking wet clothes stuck to her body and exposed her curvy body shape. Now he couldn't wait till they went swimming in that water hole.

**XxX**

As nighttime approached, the group sat around the crackling fire, provided by Sasuke. Yellow and red dots floated into the air along with the smoke and disappeared into the starry sky. It was a clear night and the stars and moon were perfectly visible.

"Everyone have a long stick to use?" Sakura asked. She took hold of the bag she packed the food in and took out two bags of marshmallows. She ripped the bag open and smile at the small white fluff balls. They reminded her of her kitten she found.

"Fine everyone grab one." she said. Ino and Choji charged at her and her eyes widened. Everyone else made a move for the soft treats. Naruto tried pushing through, but no one would budge.

"Sakura-chan! Throw me one!" he shouted. A hand slipped through the crowd and Naruto took the marshmallow. He snickered and impaled the treat with his stick and approached the fire with the others.

"Want one Sasuke?" Sakura asked. She smiled sweetly and held the bag out. He frowned.

"You know I don't' like sweets." He grumbled.

"Have you even tried one? They're not that bad or sweet. And the fire melts the inside and they're so delicious." She said. The pink haired girl subconsciously licked her lips. "At least roast one for me?" She asked. She placed one marshmallow on her stick and handed it to the boy with a small pout. Sasuke sighed and took hold of the stick.

Sakura pulled out graham crackers and a couple of chocolate bars. She moved around to the others, handing out the simple needs for their smores. "Here Kakashi." She said handing him the chocolate and crackers. "Thanks." He said and assembled his sandwich treat.

Then heads turned. The fact that Kakashi was about to eat something in front of them would mean that the mask was coming down. Eager eyes watched as he brought his fingers up to the mask and began to pull down.

"Ack!" Naruto suddenly yelled and flung his stick around in the air. His marshmallow had caught on fire and instead of blowing it out, he decided to freak out. The melting white ball flew off his stick and landed still on fire.

Sasuke growled. The burning thing had landed in his hair. "Freaking idiot." He said loudly. He shook his head, not wanting to take hold of the burning object in his hand. The melted marshmallow was sticky though, and stuck to his raven locks. He shook his head harder, now feeling the burn of the offending object.

Then there was a splash and Sasuke could feel the cold water pouring all over his head and down his back and front. The annoyed look on his face grew darker and his frown grew.

"I am going to fucking murder you." Sasuke muttered. Naruto was laughing from behind, a bucket of water in hand.

"I prevented you from loosing your hair at least!" Naruto shouted.

"That was great Sakura."

All eyes turned back to Kakashi who was smiling happily, mask back in place, smore out of sight. He ate the whole thing while Sasuke's head was on fire. Many hands wanted to strangle several people at that point.

**XxX**

"Are you done yet Sakura?"

"Hold on!"

"Well hurry up Sakura-chan! I'm tired and I want to change so I can sleep."

"Just…give me a minute."

"We'll come right in."

"No! I don't have my top on yet!"

Sai knelt down and took hold of the zipper, and moved it slightly. There was a loud gasp as Sakura dashed for something to cover her bare chest.

Sai and Naruto began to laugh. Sasuke smirked as well as Kakashi.

"You bastards!" she said angrily.

"Couldn't resist Ugly." Sai said. There was silence then some shuffling around.

"Ok, you can come in." she said. The boys walked in and Sakura was getting into her sleeping bag. "You're all so impatient." She said.

"No, you're just slow." Sasuke mouth back. Sakura glared.

As she settled down into her red sleeping bag, she could hear the sounds of her teammates changing. She pulled her sleeping bag up higher and snuggled into her pillow, trying her hardest to suppress the urge to peek. She was a strong girl. She could handle keeping herself in control as four very nice looking men around her changed.

As she peeked out from the side of her bag, she could see Sasuke settling down into his own sleeping bag beside her. She could hear Naruto next to her. Kakashi took his place besides Sasuke, and Sai laid down on the other far end by Kakashi.

"Night." She said.

"Night…Sakura-chan." Naruto said between a yawn.

"Good night." Kakashi said.

"Night." Sai muttered.

"Hn." Sasuke said which they all took to be 'good night.'

**XxX**

Cricket chirped all around the forest as an owl hooted in the distance. Ino was suddenly woken by her grumbling stomach. Her baby wanted food. Now. And she wouldn't get to sleep unless she had it.

She sat up in her sleeping bag and rubbed her eyes. She pulled her white wife beater down and un-zippered her sleeping bag.

"Ino?" came the tired voice of Shikamaru. He sat up as well. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yea. I'm just going to get something." She said. She stood up as quietly as she could, the bottom of the tent making a crunching noise beneath her feet.

She opened the tent and closed it back up. The last dying coals of the fire still burned, giving it a dull glow. She maneuvered to the other side of the camp, and came up to the tent she was sure she needed. She opened it and entered.

She saw five sleeping bags. The one that stood out was a fire red which she recognized as Sakura's. Ino walked over to the sleeping bag and dropped down onto her knees, shaking the girl awake.

"Sakura." She hissed. Sakura moaned and swatted at her friend.

"Sakura wake up!" Ino whispered. Sakura mumbled something incoherent and opened hr eyes.

"Ino? What do you want?" she asked. She stirred and propped herself up on her elbows.

"It's an emergency." Ino said.

Sakura became alert. "What happened? Is everything ok?" she asked.

"It's nothing horrible. But I need your help." She said.

"What do you need?" Sakura asked.

"Where did you put my animal crackers?"

**Haha. Love the ending. **

**Ok. I have an idea. I want to know…do you guys have any questions about this fic? Anything you're confused with, or any ideas of what may happen in the future, and you want some small hints? Ask me you're questions and I'll answer as best as I can, unless it's something I can't say anything about. **

**Send in your questions as well as reviews!**


	16. Kickball and the Waterhole

**Ah…the wonders of camp. I love camp and I though the group would as well. Now…it's time for the games to begin!**

**Disclaimer: I'm too poor to own Naruto. **

Naruto began to wake as the morning sun began to rise. He buried his head into his pillow, not wanting to wake up. There was a groan from his other side as someone moved their head on his pillow as well. He could feel their hair tickling his neck.

"Sakura-chan. You have your own pillow." He grumbled sleepily. The person did not move. He picked his head up and rubbed his eyes. Blinking a few times, he looked over expecting to see a head of pink, but gasped as he saw a head of light lemon yellow hair.

"Ino!?" he shrieked. This woke up the rest of the occupants of the tent as well as part of the camp.

Ino had been half on his pillow, sleeping between him and Sakura. The girl was clutching her bag of animal crackers, although now she was stirring.

"Shut it." Sakura roared. She wanted to hit him with her pillow, but Ino was in the way.

"What the hell idiot?" Sasuke said on Sakura's other side. He rubbed his head before glaring at the blonde.

"W-well. It's awkward falling asleep next to Sakura and waking up with Ino on your pillow!" Naruto explained as he looked bug eyed at the girl. Ino sat up.

"Sorry. I fell asleep here when I came to get food." She said. With one glance down at the bag of crackers the girl tossed them from her and quickly exited the tent. Sakura watched her go, knowing that she was going to be sick.

"Why would she come in for food? And what was with her running out so fast?" Naruto asked as he looked out the unzipped flap of the tent. Sakura's pillow connected with his face.

"Don't ask so many questions!" She told him.

"What did I do wrong!?" Naruto shouted back.

"You opened your mouth." Sasuke said.

"I'm so glad that you're all getting along." Kakashi said as he tied his hitai ate around his head. He stood walked out of the tent in only his tank-top shirt (mask attached) and pajama pants.

Sakura sighed and sank back down onto her pillow, wanting to sleep more. She looked over to her side to see Sasuke in the same position. His eyes opened half way and looked at Sakura in a sleepy manor.

"Do you need something?" he questioned.

"No." Sakura's arm sneaked out of her sleeping bag and made its way to the boy's dark hair. Sasuke could fee a small pull as her fingers wove through his hair. It almost seemed like she was playing with his hair.

But her hand retracted back to her and she smiled. "You still had some marshmallow stuck in your hair." She said. Sasuke brought his hand up and ruffled it through his already messy hair, only messing it up more. Sakura giggled.

"Aw. I'm sure something went on between you two. You act like such a happy couple. Cute." Sai said from above.

"You know, one day I'm going to strap you down and rip each of your teeth out one by one. Then I'll dispose of your tongue and I won't have to worry about hearing your voice again." Sakura said with a blissful sigh. It sounded wonderful.

"Course you will." Sai said and walked out of the tent.

"I'm really going to hurt him badly some day." Sakura said through clenched teeth. Sasuke had been giving the kid an evil look.

"Hm. I won't ever stop you."

**XxX**

"Where are we going Kakashi?" Naruto asked loudly. He marched behind the man and looked ahead into the trees to attempt to find where he was leading them.

"You'll see. Don't be so impatient." Kakashi said. "Asuma is up there waiting for us."

"Why why!? What are we going to do!?"

Kakashi sighed. The kid was just too loud for his taste.

The group made there way through the sea of blossoming sakura trees. Light shone ahead as they approached a wide clearing.

And in the middle of the clearing stood Asuma, smirking at the teenagers while tossing a red ball in the air and catching it as it came back down.

When they all made it to the clearing, they stood around Asuma. "The name of the game," he started. "is kickball."

"Kickball?" Naruto questioned. His eyes followed as the ball was tossed into the air once more.

"Yes. You all will be separated into two teams. I'm sure you all know the rules of the game." Asuma said. No one spoke, showing that they all understood. Asuma pointed over his shoulder.

"Four flags have been set up to represent the bases. The one just over there," he pointed to his right (their left), "Is home plate. And remember, in this game, you are not allowed to use chakra or any kinds of justsu. This is a normal game of kickball. Now all we need are captains."

"Oh! Me! I want to be a captain!" Naruto shouted while his hand waved frantically in the air.

"I don't think so. Sasuke, if you will." Kakashi said. Naruto's face fell as he glared at the raven haired boy.

"Why him? Sasuke always gets everything! He shouldn't be captain!" The blonde said aloud.

"Tenten. You'll be our other captain." Kurenai said.

"Right." She said and moved out of the group. She and Sasuke stood before the group, making sure to keep far enough away from each other.

"Ladies first." Kakashi said quickly. Tenten smiled sweetly.

"Go ahead then Sasuke." She said. The raven haired boy glared.

"Age before beauty." He retorted. Tenten returned the glare.

"Hm. Then, Sakura. You're on my team." She said. The pink haired kunoichi smiled before dashing off to her friend's side.

"Hn. Bushy brows." Sasuke said. Lee pumped his fist into the air.

"YOSH! He picked me! I promise that I will do my best. And if I fail, I will run around these bases five hundred times!"

Sasuke suddenly questioned his choice of teammates.

"WHAT! Bushy brows!? Why Bushy brows? Why not me? What the hell Sasuke!?" Naruto shouted loudly pointing an accusing finger at Lee. Lee seemed taken aback and stared at the yelling blonde.

"He's better than you idiot." Sasuke interjected.

"Yeah right! No one is better than me! I'm the future Hokage!" Naruto proclaimed.

"Right. And I'm future queen of Japan." Sasuke said in a sarcastic tone.

"You're right there." Sakura muttered loud enough to be heard.

Sasuke suddenly rounded on her. "What?" He asked hotly.

"You heard me."

"You tell him Sakura-chan!"

"Shut it dobe!"

"Shut it you three!" Kakashi demanded.

"NO!" They all shouted at the same time. Kakashi's gaze turned terribly dark by the time they noticed their mistake.

"Kakashi…gomen…" Sakura said softly. His gaze didn't soften in the least as he glared at his team.

"Excuse me?" He said.

"I told you Kakashi!" Gai cheered loudly. "My team is better than yours!"

Kakashi then turned to Gai. "Excuse me?" He said again.

"Alright…let's just get this sorted out. We don't need any fights." Kurenai said in slight desperation. The last thing they needed was a jounin death match.

"Fine." they all said.

Asuma and Kurenai took it upon themselves to sort the teams. On Tenten's team there was Sakura, Sai, Kiba with Akamaru, Neji, Ino, and Chouji. Sasuke's team consisted of Lee, Naruto, Gai, Hinata, Shino, and Shikamaru. Kakashi was made designated pitcher. Asuma and Kurenai kept score.

The first team to kick was Sasuke's. Hinata was the first to kick. She shyly stepped up to the flag and fidgeted as she waited for Kakashi to pitch the ball. The white haired man picked up the small ball.

He rolled it to her easy. The players in the outfield smirked to each other as the pale eyed girl prepared to kick the ball. They all moved in slightly.

Stupid choice.

As the ball came closer, Hinata grew nervous. She couldn't mess up. But knowing her, she might miss the ball completely. No! She couldn't mess up! There were too many people watching! And Naruto! He was watching as well!

Closing her eyes, Hinata let out a small scream as she kicked forward. Her foot connected with the ball and sent it flying into the air and over the trees. The outfielders watched in amazement as the red ball flew over their heads and disappeared.

"Homerun! Go Hinata-chan! Run!" Naruto cheered. He was smiling widely as he watched Hinata run the bases.

"Awesome job Hinata!" Naruto said as he hugged the girl. Hinata smiled back.

"I really did it." She said as if she couldn't believe it.

Akamaru came running back into the clearing, the red ball in his mouth. He charged over to Kakashi who held the ball out on his finger tips, saliva dripping down the ball.

"Thanks…Akamaru." Kakashi said. The hound gave a howl before returning to Kiba's side.

After five minutes, Shino was on third base, and Sasuke was on second. They had two outs, one because Lee was over excited and fell on his face while running the bases. The other was from Shikamaru who didn't feel like running to the bases.

Naruto was up and charged after the oncoming ball. He missed completely and fell flat on is back. "Kuso." He cursed while picking himself up.

Sasuke had his head in his hands. Why did he have to have this team?

The ball came again and Naruto was able to kick this one. It flew high into the air. "Ha! Take that!" he said as he began to run to first base. The ball flew through the air and began to sink down. It landed in the hands of Neji who smirked at the blue eyed boy.

"What the hell!? You suck Neji!" Naruto shouted angrily. He stomped away from the flag he was near and moved to the outfield.

The first on Tenten's team to kick was Neji. The boy who didn't want anything to do with this game. He rather be out doing some really training, but he was sure he wouldn't get out of this. Besides, Gai might start crying and follow him around if he refused.

So as the ball came to him, he made no move to go after it. He glanced down as the rubber ball rolled right by his legs.

Hn. He didn't want to play. So he wouldn't play.

"Neji! Kick the ball! Don't watch it!" Tenten shouted. The paled eyed boy looked over at her and received a mad glare. He didn't even try to glare back.

"This is most un-youthful!" A cry sounded from the outfield. "Neji! Show your youth to the world and participate in this skill building game. If not I can find other ways to build your youth! Youth training for everyone will be great!"

"Oh Neji. Seriously just kick the ball." Sakura pleaded. No one needed to go through 'youth training.'

"Hn." Fine he would kick the ball.

So as the ball came, Neji kicked the annoying thing. It soared high into the outfield. Neji simply crossed his arms and walked away, straight over to where his team was and sat on the grass next to his female captain.

"What the hell!?" Tenten shouted.

"You told me to kick the ball. So I did. You never told me to run the bases."

Next was Chouji who complained he was hungry and inevitably got out. Kiba went after that and landed on second base.

Then it was Sai's turn. The boy stepped up onto the plate and looked around with a slightly confused face. Kakashi sent the ball rolling towards him. Sai watched as it came towards him, then went past him with out even moving to go after it.

"Sai!" Sakura shouted. "Why didn't you kick the ball?" she hollered. The boy looked over his shoulder.

"Well Ugly, I don't exactly know how to play." He said with a false smile. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Why didn't you say something when I asked?" Asuma asked from the sidelines.

Sai scoffed. "I would have looked stupid being the only one who didn't know how to play." He said back.

"Didn't you pick anything up while watching us?" Ino questioned. Sai shook his head.

"I wasn't paying attention."

After taking the next couple of minutes to explain the game to Sai they were ready.

"Alright let's get this game going!" Kurenai said.

The game ventured on. The score was five to seven in favor of Tenten's team. Tenten's team was up to kick at the moment.

The afternoon sun grew high in the air. The bright rays on sun beat down on the players. Sweat trickled down their faces from their hard work in the game. The sun beat harshly on their backs.

"Man it's hot." Kiba said loudly while stripping from his shirt. He slung the cloth down to the ground and let his bare chest gleam in the sun.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He was defending the third base where Kiba was standing. He was just trying to be a showoff. Even though it was terribly hot, he was just showing off.

"He's right." Naruto said, taking his jacket then undershirt off.

"Haha. Strippers." Ino teased. Sakura giggled beside her. Neither one of them were going to stop them.

"Shika! Take your shirt off!" Ino chanted to her boyfriend. But Shikamaru passively ignored her as he gazed at the white puffy clouds.

"Shika! Listen to me! Take your shirt off!" She started walking over to the home flag to kick. Again the boy ignored her. Ino let out a small growl. "No Nara Shikamaru is going to ignore me." She grumbled and kicked the ball.

Luckily her aim was great. The ball went flying right at her unsuspecting boyfriend as he continued to watch the clouds.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled. The boy didn't snap out of his lazy faze. The ball hit the boy square in the face.

"Oi!" He shouted. He glared at the players and saw Ino who seemed to be standing weakly at second base.

"Ino." He whispered mainly to himself. She didn't look right. The wobbled for a second before collapsing. Luckily Shino was on base and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Ino!" Shikamaru shouted as he began to run towards the girl. There were many shouts and multiple people running to the girl. Shino gently placed her on the ground as everyone began to crowd around.

"Move it." Shikamaru said harshly as he pushed through. They let him pass as he dropped down to the ground beside the girl.

Sakura then pushed past through everyone. She dropped down besides the pair and began checking over her friend. "She's alright." She said looking straight at Shikamaru, trying to tell him the baby was alright without using any words. "She's just exhausted. We should get her back to the camp."

"Good thinking. I think we should all head back. It's not good to be running around in this kind of heat." Kurenai said.

"Shika?" Ino started to wake as she noticed the crowd around her. She began to sit up, but Shikamaru stopped her.

"I'll carry you. We're going to back to camp." He said. He lifted the girl into his arms and she leaned her head into his chest.

"Sorry for messing the game up everyone." She said.

"It's alright Ino. It's not your fault." Asuma said. "And I'd like to talk to you two sometime." He whispered to the couple. They both nodded their heads.

Oh they were in trouble. They could just feel it.

**XxX**

"You ok Ino?" Sakura asked as she entered the tent, two bowls in hand. Shikamaru looked up as she entered.

"I'm fine Billboard Brow." Ino insisted. "I just got a little tired."

"Hm. Well I just want to make sure you're alright. We're going swimming in a little bit. Everyone's eating right now." she said and pushed both of the bowls in her friends.

Ino happily began to delve on her food while Shikamaru only picked at his. "You can stay here and rest if you want Ino." Sakura said.

Ino swallowed her share of food. "I'm fine. Besides I need a nice swim."

"Alright. Come over to my tent when you're finished. The girls are changing over there so we don't have to worry about nosy teammates."

Ten minutes later Ino was walking over to Sakura's tent, her baby blue bikini in hand. The second her hand touched the zipper, there were shouts questioning her identity.

"It's me jeez." Ino said. She opened the tent and quickly shut it.

"Well we can't be too sure. You know the pervs in this camp." Sakura said, her bare back facing her friend. Sakura began to tie the strings of her emerald bikini around her back.

"Right. Well hurry up." Kurenai said as she placed a pair of sunglasses on the top of her head.

Outside the tent, Kakashi watched as Sai walked over to their tent. "Why is Sai going into the tent? The girls are changing." He said.

Naruto chuckled as he watched his clueless teammate. "No one informed him that they were changing in there." He said deviously.

At the sound of the zipper moving, the girls froze. Ino and Tenten, both without tops, scrambled to cover themselves.

"Who the hell…" Sakura said loudly.

Sai walked into the tent and walked right past the girls without giving one of them a glance. "You've got nothing to want to see Ugly." Sai said as he went right for his bag. He pulled out his pair of black swim trunks and exited the tent as if the whole thing were no big deal.

"I'm really going to get him one day." Sakura grumbled. She looked over at Hinata who was in the middle of tying her lavender bikini strings behind her back. Her face was beet red.

Once everyone was changed, they all met up in the middle of the camp. Sakura, Kiba, Akamaru and Hinata were leading the way to the swimming hole. Kiba laughed as they past the root that Sakura had tripped over, and received a glare from the pink-haired kunoichi. He smiled, and she smiled back.

As soon as the swimming hole was in view, Kiba charged forward and jumped right into the refreshing water. Sakura followed and jumped in right after him. The cold water surrounded her, cooling her right off. The first thing she saw when she surfaced was Kiba's smirking face. There was a large splash as Akamaru joined them in the water.

Naruto began climbing the cliff beside the waterfall. The mist of the fall filled the air and dampened his skin. He stood on the edge that overlooked the swimming pool below. There were a couple of heads looking up at him.

With a cry of "dattebayo!" he jumped forward and dived straight down into the water.

Sasuke, who was testing the water before getting in, was caught in a large wave of water from Naruto's dive. Water dripped down his body as he glared at the blonde who smiled up at him.

"Kiba." Sakura whispered.

Kiba turned to the girl who was smirking. Oh she had plan. "Yeah?"

"I dare you to push Sasuke in." she said with a small chuckle. Kiba's smirk grew. He never back down from a challenge.

He nodded to her and escaped out of the water. There were shouts as Sasuke began to argue with Naruto. The blonde said something to Sasuke and splashed him. Sasuke made a rude hand gesture to him.

"I'll break that finger Sasuke." Kakashi's voice rang out from somewhere in the trees. The dark haired boy didn't bother to look around for the copy-nin.

Kiba was sneaking up behind Sasuke, chakra masked. He knew he wouldn't be able to sneak up right behind the Uchiha, so when he was close enough, he charged forward and pushed the man straight into the water.

Sasuke resurfaced and spit water out of his mouth. If looks could kill, the laughing Kiba would have dropped dead.

Behind him, Naruto was in hysterics. He was pointing a finger at Sasuke and clenching his stomach. There were giggles and bouts of laughter around the pool.

Then Sasuke seemed to snap.

He lunged forward at Naruto and the pair disappeared under water. A dark figure came to the surface and Sasuke's head popped up. "Stupid…dobe…" He muttered while holding Naruto under the water.

Naruto's arms and legs flailed around as he tried to get Sasuke off.

"Your asking for it Sasuke." Kakashi said again. "You won't get on good terms with the Hokage if you kill one of your teammates." The jounin made his appearance and jumped down from the trees. He was clad in only a pair of deep blue swim trunks. Red lines ran down the sides of the shorts. He had no shirt on and immediately when everyone noticed this their eyes went for his face.

Unfortunately he had what looked like a dark blue cut off from one of his shirts. The material stretched from his neck up and up around his face.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi and reluctantly let Naruto go. The blonde's head popped up as he began gasping for breath.

"Damn teme."

It was half an hour after the incident. The girls insisted that they all play a game of chicken. Not all of the guys wanted to, and Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru, and Shino lazily floated around, or watched the ongoing matches. Kakashi was sitting on the edge of the waterhole with his feet dipped into the water, book in hand. Kurenai and Asuma were lounging together off to the side away from the others. And Gai had insisted on swimming around the hole five hundred times.

"I'll get you Ino-pig!" Sakura cried from atop of Kiba's shoulders.

"Ha! As if Billboard Brow!" Ino retorted. "Let's go Chouji!"

"Right!" Chouji said and moved forward.

"Heh. Let's get em' Sakura." Kiba cheered as he moved forward. He smirked at Chouji as they both tried to force each other over. Sakura and Ino had joined hands and were attempting to knock each other over. Sakura knew she could easily knock Ino over with her chakra, but decided against it. That wouldn't be as much fun as using brute strength.

Away from them, Tenten sat on Lee's shoulders, giggling as she wrestled with Hinata, who was with Naruto.

"Come on Lee!" Tenten said as she smiled at Hinata. The heiress smiled back.

"We can do it Naruto-kun." She said her confidence level higher than normal.

"Yeah! You do it Hinata-chan!" He said proudly.

As the pairs battled on Tenten and Lee pushed forward. Naruto and Hinata were forced back slightly. Tenten gave a harsh push that sent Hinata backwards. She let out a small squeak as she fell off of Naruto's shoulders. Naruto tried to stop her but fell over as well. They fell back and interrupted the other match and crashed into Kiba and Sakura, sending them over as well. Two pairs were down.

"New opponents!" Tenten said and pointed to Ino and Chouji.

"Yosh! We can win this Tenten!" Lee chanted as he charged forward to their new rivals.

Ino and Tenten linked hands and began to push against each other. Chouji and Lee both tried to push forward in an attempt to knock each other over.

"A little more Lee!" Tenten grumbled as she continued to struggle against Ino. The girl growled as Lee moved forward. With another big push, Ino was sent over backwards. Chouji reacted fast enough and caught her as they both went under the water.

"Ah! We did it! We won Lee!" Tenten cheered. Lee sank down into the water and helped her off.

"Of course we did! There was no way we would lose!" Lee proclaimed as Tenten slung her arms around his neck and hugged him.

They stayed at the water hole for another half and hour until the sky began to grow dark. Kakashi glanced up at the sky as some grey clouds began to float by.

"Hm. Looks like rain." He said to himself. Sure enough a rain drop fell and hit his covered nose.

"Alright everyone. Let's head back to camp before it starts to downpour." He said.

There was a loud cheer of "Hai" from multiple people as the group started to climb out of the water.

**Ah. I couldn't think of how to end it…lol. **

**Here are some answers to questions you all asked. **

**Ok…**

**Q: Is Sakura pregnant?**

**A: Well…you'll find out. I can't give that away…**

**Q: What's with Kiba?**

**A: Actually the whole Kiba situation will be explained in the next chapter. It is obvious that something happened between the two of them…and you're all right. **

**Q: Will Akatsuki appear?**

**A: I'm saving them for the sequel I have planned. ;)**

**Q: Will Ino's secret be revealed?**

**A: Of course! Can't keep a pregnant woman a secret can you?**

**Q: Why was Sakura sick?**

**A: Goodness. Well, she just had a bit of a stomach bug there. The whole thing was to throw people off. I think it worked. **

**Q: How long until Sasuke realizes his feelings for Sakura?**

**A: That's hard for even me to say. I will have some small Sasusaku hints in here sometime soon…coughnextchaptercough…but once it is shown…it will be full blown and very twisty!**

**Thanks for those. Remember…send in questions if you have any! **

**Now…let's pretend we're Shikamaru. Let's play a game of 'go' and click on the pretty go button and submit a review! **


	17. Boys will be boys

**Ah. Now for the new chapter where things will be explained and other things…will…happen. Yeah I can't give everything away. **

**Disclaimer: What do you think?**

The rain splashed down on top of the tents. The teams were scattered among each other's own places, waiting for the downpour to subside. Sakura was in a tent with Shikamaru and Ino, talking over what they would do about their situation.

"I mean, she's going to get bigger and her belly will start to show. You obviously have to tell someone and I think you should do it now." Sakura said.

Ino looked at her skeptically, and then glanced up at Shikamaru. "We know Forehead, but it's not that easy. I'm afraid of what people will say. I'm eight-teen, and unmarried. The village won't be so excepting." She said.

"That is true but you don't exactly have a choice." She said. Sakura quieted her voice down as she said the next part. "But there is one way to make it slightly better."

Ino gave Sakura a curious look. "Which would be?"

"Well. I think it would help…you know…if you two…tied the knot."

"What!? Oh yeah! How the hell do you expect me to tell my dad that? Hey dad…I'm getting married…and I'm pregnant. He would make me move back in with him and mom and I'd be digging Shikamaru's grave! Sakura I just…I…" She trailed off as the words slipped from her mind.

Then she burst into tears.

"I…I d-don't know…what…to…" she stopped there as a sob escaped her. She clung to Shikamaru who rubbed circles along her back. He sighed at her sudden mood swing.

"Well, you haven't said anything Shikamaru." Sakura said, looking at the slightly annoyed man. He closed his eyes.

"I think this whole thing is troublesome…" he was then interjected by Ino.

"Y-you think I-I-I'm….troublesome!" she wailed. Her blues eyes were filled with more tears.

"No Ino. You're not troublesome." He said.

"Y-yes! You think I…I am." Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "I should h-have just left!" She spat angrily. Shikamaru looked so lost all of a sudden. He had no clue what to do and looked at Sakura for help.

"Ino. I don't think he meant it like that." Sakura said, trying to calm her friend down.

"Right. I was going to say that we'll get through this and make the right decisions." He said. Ino's sobs began to die down.

"Y-you don't think I'm troublesome?" she asked, wiping her tears.

"No. I love you." he said softly, ears turning a delicate shade of red. He never really did say anything sweet to Ino in front of others. Even if it was just Sakura.

"I love you too Shika-kun." Ino exclaimed and hugged him tightly.

The zipper of the tent suddenly moved and the three turned their attention to the tent opening.

Asuma walked in, water dripping off of him as rain crashed down on him. "Hey." He said simply and walked in. Ino hastily wiped her red eyes. "Mind if I talk to you guys. Uh…alone." He said directing this to Sakura. The girl smiled and stood right up.

"I'll be in my tent." She said and dashed out. Asuma closed the opening behind him. His dark eyes glanced at the two teenagers. Ino seemed to be trying to hide in Shikamaru's embrace.

"Ok. I just wanted to talk to you guys." He said calmly. He moved and sat in front of them. "I can tell you are hiding something, and I have a pretty good idea of what it is. You can just tell me. I won't say anything if you don't want me to." He said.

The couple looked at each other, then at their team leader. Asuma waited for some kind of answer.

"Well, yea something is going on." Shikamaru said. He wasn't sure if he could believe Asuma about not telling anyone. He could go and tell Tsunade, who would ban Ino from any missions. That he didn't mind, but he wasn't sure what else the Hokage would do if she found out.

"Ino's pregnant huh?" Asuma said as he looked at the girl's stomach, which was covered by Shikamaru's arms.

Ino nodded. "But…how did you know?" she asked.

"Me? Ino you're talking to someone who has a kid and went through nine months with a pregnant woman." He said with a chuckle. "I think I can tell."

"Uh…right. Please don't tell anyone! We don't want this to get out." Ino pleaded.

"Relax. I won't say anything. I think Kurenai is a safe person to tell though. You need someone, besides Sakura, to help you out with this. Someone who has gone through a pregnancy already. But I do think you should let someone else in on it too. The whole team deserves to know." Asuma said as he moved to the tent opening. He unzipped the flap and exited.

"What does he mean?" Ino asked.

"He means that Chouji shouldn't be left out." Shikamaru said with a yawn. His yawn was contagious and Ino yawned right after him.

"Nap time?" she asked, now feeling slightly drowsy.

Shikamaru slid under his unzipped dark green sleeping bag. They had set Ino's on the floor and used his as a blanket so that they could stay closer when they slept. Ino slid under next to him and rested her head on her pillow.

"You read my mind." He said.

**XxX**

Sakura slipped into her teams' tent and was happy to be out of the rain. She was terribly surprised to find only Sasuke in there, staring at the blank blue ceiling from his sleeping bag.

"Bored?" Sakura asked as she walked in. He didn't move as she sat on her own sleeping bag and began to rummage through her bag. She took out her hair brush and ran it through her growing tresses.

"Hn. Stupid rain won't stop." He grumbled miserably.

"True. Where did everyone else go?" she questioned while trying to get a small knot out of her hair. Sasuke cringed ever so slightly at the sound of her trying to get the knot out. It sounded like she was ripping her hair out.

"Gai challenged Kakashi to something and Naruto and Sai just left."

"Ah." When her pink hair was nice a straight, she put her brush away and reached for her other bag. Digging her hand in, she pulled out a bag of chips and started to munch down. Sasuke sat up. "Two more days and we'll be at a hot spring." She said with a dreamy sigh. She could just imagine the wonderful massage she would get and the lovely feel of the hot springs.

"Hn. What happened to you talking to Nara and Ino?" Sasuke asked. He reached his hand into the bag and grabbed a chip to munch on.

"Oh. Asuma wanted to talk to them. Alone." She said with a slightly worried look.

"Aa. So they've been found out you think?" he suggested.

"Yeah I do. But if Asuma knows, I think it's for the better." Sakura said and greedily ate a handful of chips. Sasuke watched. She was suddenly eating like Naruto.

Sakura noticed his stare and blushed slightly. "What? I'm hungry." She said.

Sasuke smirked. "We had lunch an hour ago. With your appetite, you'd think you were the pregnant one." he said.

Sakura rolled her eyes and set the chips down. She went through her bag and pulled out a deck of playing cards.

"How about some Rummy." She said.

**XxX**

The rain had stopped over night and the skies were clear the next day. The girls each carried their own bathing supplies as they made their way to the water hole to bathe.

"Anyways, how is Katsurou?" Ino asked Kurenai as they approached their destination.

"He's been fine." She said, a smile making its way onto her face as she though of her and Asuma's four year old son. "I hope he's ok at his aunts. I could tell Konohamaru wasn't totally ecstatic with his little cousin staying with him. He'd rather be out on important missions. Or spending time with that little girl Moegi."

(Remember, Asuma is Konohamaru's uncle.)

"Heh. I was always wondering if he liked her." Sakura said. When she was seventeen, Moegi came to her and asked to learn medical justsus from her. The girl was very talkative and accidentally let her crush on the boy slip out one day. "She's liked him for a while."

"Yeah, well he has a soft spot for her. He really is like Naruto." Kurenai said. "So determined to do his best and so focused on advancing as a ninja." She looked over at Hinata. "But they both have someone they would stop for." Hinata blushed.

The girls reached the water hole and slipped into the refreshing water.

"You don't think the guys will come and spy on us right?" Tenten asked, very aware of her nakedness and how easily the guys could see them. She sank down into the water.

"I don' think their that stupid." Kurenai said without any concern. She dipper her long dark hair back into to the water thoroughly wetting it.

"You…can never be too sure." Hinata said. Like Tenten, she was suddenly aware of her body and surroundings. She didn't want something like yesterday. Having Sai walk in on them while changing was bad enough.

"We'll be able to tell if they come." Sakura said. She took hold of her shampoo and began to wash her hair.

"Yeah. Besides, we didn't tell them where we were going. I don't think they'll come swimming this early in the morning." Ino said.

**XxX**

"Come on. It's nice to have a morning swim! Plus we can get cleaned up at the same time." Naruto said.

"Fine Naruto. Anyone who wants go can." Kakashi said. He added another log to the fire and poked it around a bit. "I'm staying back." He said.

"I will too. You guys can go." Asuma said.

"Anyone know where the girls went?" Chouji asked as she looked around.

"They probably went out for some girl talk." Naruto said with a roll of his eyes. "Anyways, let's go!" He said.

All of the boys agreed to go besides Kakashi, Asuma, and Gai. When the boys were far enough away, the three looked at each other.

"You know the girls most likely went there to wash." Asuma said.

"Yup." Kakashi said in an amused tone. "They'll learn not to rush into places though."

"Ah. It's the karma of youth. I'm sure it would be an amusing show to watch." Gai said.

**XxX**

"I'm borrowing your wash cloth Sakura." Ino said as she took the deep red cloth and wet it. She poured her vanilla body wash on it and ran the foamy thing over her arms. She ran it over her neck then froze.

"You guys feel that?" Ino asked, her voice shaking.

"Y-yeah." Hinata said. She ducked down.

"They're close, it's too late to get our clothes. Let's get by the waterfall." Kurenai said hurriedly. She and the others swam over to the fall.

"Look. Behind, there's a small cave." Sakura said and moved around the descending water. The girl followed and right as Hinata moved behind into the small water filled cabin did they hear a splash and shouts of the guys. They stayed hidden in the back, their chakra masked.

"Hn. The girls stuff is here. But I don't see them." Kiba said. He sniffed the air, but the scent of the girls different body washes messed up his scenes.

"Heh. Who cares. They're not here right. Let's enjoy this place." Naruto said.

"We'll just have to wait until they leave." Tenten whispered from the cave. They could see the blurred outlines of the guys as they swam around and splashed each other.

"It's cold in here." Ino said as she wrapped her arms around her bare shelf. The water in the small cavern was indeed colder than it was on the outside due to lack of sunlight.

But they were in there for ten minutes. "Are they ever going to leave?" Sakura questioned.

The five of them held their breaths as they saw a figure approaching the waterfall. "Hey! I think there's something behind the waterfall!"

Oh God.

Lee couldn't have picked a worse time to say something.

"Really? What!? Neji! Use your Byakugan and see!" Naruto said as he rounded on the pale eyed boy.

Byakugan? Oh no. Oh hell no! All of the girls paled at the words and covered themselves. "If he does that boy will be beat so bad." Tenten hissed.

"Hn. There are some things that are pointless to use my bloodline on." Neji said while crossing his arms over his bare chest.

Ah Neji was their savior.

"Are you too afraid to go check it out yourself?"

"What? No!" Naruto shouted and swam towards the fall.

All of the girl suddenly back away and covered themselves as best of they could, sinking low into the water.

"Let's go under when he comes." Kurenai said. They all nodded.

As Naruto approached, the girl all sunk under the water. The blonde looked in and found nothing. He couldn't see the dark figures under the water due to the lack of light. He moved back away from the fall and the girls surfaced.

"It's a cave!" he called out.

Maybe they wouldn't be interested.

"Let's see it!"

Aw damn.

There were multiple figures approaching now. Who knew a cave would be so interesting? If they knew it was full of naked woman, they would be charging even faster most likely. But boys being boys, are always interested in finding little hiding places.

There was no where to go and they were trapped. They didn't know where they could go. The girls backed up as their backs hit the cold stone wall.

Then five different bodies emerged from the other side of the fall. There was a moment of silence where they just stared at each other.

Followed by four screams and one angry glare.

Naruto, Kiba, Lee, Sasuke, and Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"Get out now!" Sakura shouted. She tried to sink lower in the water, but she couldn't go any lower without being totally submerged in the water.

The guys seemed to be frozen though.

"OUT!" Ino roared.

Shino and Neji swam over to see what the disturbance was, were jut as shocked to find the girls like the others.

"Shika! Get them out!" Ino said.

"S-same with you Naruto!" Hinata (surprisingly) yelled.

"Right. Come on guys!" Shikamaru said darkly as he pulled in Kiba's arm. Naruto gawked for another second before shaking his head moving out. Neji glared as well ushered them out. He didn't want anyone looking at his exposed cousin. Like himself. He did not want that image.

The girl waited for five minutes before sticking their heads out. The place was deserted. The boys had fled thank goodness.

"Let's get dressed and go. We don't need something like that happening again." Kurenai said and led them out f the waterhole.

**XxX**

For the rest of the day the guys didn't speak to the girls and the girls wouldn't talk to the guys. The girls made lunch and served it but no communication was made. Kurenai had replayed the events to the three other team leaders. Asuma didn't seem to impressed that the boys saw a bit more of his wife than he would have liked.

They were cleaning up after a quick dinner when Kakashi spoke. "There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight." He said and gazed up at the sky. It was still too light to see any shooting stars. The sun was gradually lowering over the horizon, giving the sky a golden hue.

When it was dark enough, the group headed out to a hill that Kurenai and Asuma found one morning when they went out for a walk together. The hill overlooked a forest and gave the perfect view of the sky, where you could watch the sunrise or sunset.

Luckily the heat of the day dried out the ground so it wasn't wet when they laid back on the ground.

The sky turned a deep midnight blue and millions of stars dotted the dark canvas. The moon shone brightly as it hung in the sky.

"Oh!" Sakura gasped as she pointed out a small dot that danced along the sky. She was next to Ino, who was next to Shikamaru. Chouji wasn't far from them. Naruto sat with Hinata. Kiba and Shino sat by Chouji. Sasuke was more separate from the group, laying away from the others by himself.

Tenten had sneaked over to Neji, glancing at him every now and then. Lee was on the other side of Neji, watching in awe as more stars soared across the sky.

"It's so pretty." Tenten whispered.

"Hm." Neji mumbled. He had a peaceful look on his face, and Tenten smiled. He looked so…nice when he was peaceful.

Kurenai had taken a hold of Asuma's hands as they sat at the top of the hill. Kakashi was resting in a tree, and Gai was leaning against said tree.

The group stayed out there for almost an hour, just watched as the meteors lit of the night sky. Sakura looked over at her friend who seemed to be cuddling with her boyfriend and smiled. She scooted away, feeling that that wasn't her place at the moment.

So she moved over to the lonely one.

She crawled over to Sasuke and laid down next to him. He didn't move as she did and didn't seem to mind at all.

Slowly, the group started to disperse. It was getting late. "You guys staying?" Asked Kakashi as he jumped down from the tree. He was about to walk back with Asuma and Kurenai. Once they left, Sasuke and Sakura were the only ones left.

"We'll head back in a little bit." Sakura called to him. So now the two were all alone.

Sasuke had his own question to ask the girl and figured he should ask now before she suggested they went back to camp. He heard her yawn next to him and turned his head.

"I have to ask you something." He said. When she looked at him with a surprised look, he had already turned his head back and watched as more stars shoot across the sky.

"Um. Alright." She said.

"What's with you and Kiba?" Sasuke left the question at that. He figured she would get what he meant.

"Ah. Why do you ask?" She questioned, not knowing if she couldn't get an answer from that. She didn't either. He just shrugged his shoulders. Sakura, now starting to become a Sasuke expert, took that as he noticed how close they were. She sighed and began to tell her story.

"Well, when we were sixteen…he and I…kind of dated. We were together for two years." She informed him.

It was a few moment before Sasuke answered. "And why did you stop?" Stupid curiosity was making him act weird and ask stupid questions.

"Well…I was the one to break it off. It was fine for the most part." She said and looked around. "But I guess we were too much alike. Two very stubborn and hard headed people dating don't always mix." She ended the last part with a chuckle. Sasuke didn't say anything.

"Also, we got into a lot of petty fights. But one…was a bit more than that. He was saying that I was still hung up over you even though you were gone. He said that you wouldn't come back, and I told him he was wrong." She trailed off for a second. "Then he said that…that he couldn't be with someone who was thinking of another guy. And it was true. I knew he was right. So I told him we're over." She looked over at Sasuke's face. He seemed to be thinking.

"And…that was it. We're still really close as you can see. But…I don't know. He's been the only guy I've dated and…yeah." Her words left and a weird silence formed. She didn't know if Sasuke would say anything or not. By the looks of it, probably not. But she had more to say anyways.

"In a way, Kiba was always right. I did think of you more than I should have. But…I couldn't stop. I kept telling myself to stop and that I have a boyfriend. But you keep popping into my head."

Still she wasn't getting anything from her teammate.

Her voice grew quiet. "I…only wanted you to accept my love. And I guess I couldn't stop thinking of you…because you didn't."

More silence. Sakura really wished Sasuke would say something. Anything. Maybe he was sleeping? She looked over at him. Nope. He was just staring at the sky.

"Who said I didn't accept your love?" he asked.

What!?

"Wha…what do you mean?"

"I don't like to repeat myself."

"Well Sasuke, you were never very…nice to me. And you always blew me off, ignored me, or insulted me. So I just thought…." She trailed off yet again, not knowing what to say or where he was going with this.

"Maybe I never returned the feelings, but it wasn't hard for me to accept that you had feelings for me. It was just a bit obvious you know." He said. He put his hands behind his head. "And I know you still have feelings for me."

It was her time to not respond. So he had always acknowledged her love? She always thought he just thought she was another fangirl. Just like the rest of them.

Hm. Maybe he changed…in some way.

Sakura never noticed she was sitting up at this point. She yawned again and could feel herself drift away into dream land.

And as Sakura lowered herself down, Sasuke felt a new weight on his shoulder. The girl drifted off with him as a pillow.

He couldn't help but wonder why she still liked him. What hadn't he done to her? Let's see…he knocked her unconscious and left her on a bench. Insulted her when they were teammates. Basically killed her parents. Broke her and Kiba up. And gave her emotions wounds that would probably never heal. And he was sure the list could go on and on.

Maybe he should…give her a chance.

She was a strong kunoichi. Perfect chakra control was hard to find in people. And her medical skills were amazing. Not to mention her strength. And besides being physically strong, she was mentally strong as well. With everything she had been put through, she was a tough girl inside and out.

He looked at the girl who was dozing on his shoulder. The moon reflected off her face giving her an angelic glow. She looked so peaceful and happy when she slept. Like there was nothing that could harm her. And he would admit…she was pretty.

Sakura really was something. She was completely different from the twelve year old girl he had once known. No more fangirl characteristics were a major plus. He was sure there were plenty of his fangirls around the village. He was almost grateful that he was shut up all day.

And gently as he could, Sasuke moved and picked the small girl up into his arms. She groaned slightly and laid her head into his chest. Her hand took hold of his shirt, clinging to him.

As he observed her, he started heading back to camp. He then whispered something to the sleeping girl.

"I'm sorry Sakura."

**Whao. Little Sasusaku hint! Yay! I'll wait for more questions and post them in the next chapter. Send in the questions!**

**I'm leaving for the next three days. Going camping! I'll be back on Friday!**

**Hit the 'go' button and I'll give you….a….a…go tart?**


	18. Hot Springs

**Thanks for the reviews. Sorry this took so long to get up…**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine….meh. **

The sharp sound of a twig snapping out in the camp woke Sakura out of her sleep. She sat right up and looked around. There was a shadow moving around the outside. Panic rose through her as she sat up. Her heart beat quickened as she watched the shadow move around. She turned to the closes thing next to her and took hold of it.

The closes thing happened to be Sasuke.

"Sakura, what...?" he said sleepily as he was woken from his slumber.

"There's something out there." She whispered and pointed out the tent towards the shadow. Sasuke looked and sat up. She was right. There was something moving around out there.

"It's probably just one of the others." He said. There was a sudden growl outside that could not have come from a human.

"Yeah, and that was Ino's stomach." Sakura said sarcastically.

"What was that?" Naruto asked as he sat up. There was another growl, this one louder than the other. Sakura stiffened her hold on Sasuke's arm tightened unconsciously.

"I think it's a bear." Sasuke said. The figure grew closer, sniffing the air as it grew nearer to the tent. The bear walked around and over to their side. Naruto backed away as did Sakura. She ended up pushed right up to Sasuke.

"Oh snap. Bears um…you know. They can smell food easily right." She said. The bear then pawed at the side of the tent. Sakura gulped.

"Yeah they have a really good sense of smell." Sasuke said. Kakashi was now awake and looked surprised at the shadow of their guest, who just growled once more.

Sakura looked at the spot the bear was pawing at and saw Ino's bag on animal crackers lying open. "Damn." She mumbled. The tent rumbled again as the bear pawed harder at the side.

"Oi." Sai said as he woken. The bear growled again. "Jeez dickless, you snore loud enough."

"That was me idiot! It's the bear!" Naruto said loudly.

Sai seemed more alert now. "Bear?" he questioned. He looked over at the shadow outside the tent and sighed. "This is not a nice morning wake up call."

"We just...have to get rid of the food." Sakura said.

"Yes, and you suggest we do that how?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, here." She said and picked up the bag of crackers. She move to the other side and opened the tent. Chakra flowed through her hand as she stuck her head and arm out of the tent. As hard as she could, she chucked the bag into the woods. It took a few seconds but there was a small crash as the bag landed. This caught the bear's attention and it took off after the bag.

Sakura immediately ducked back inside and crawled over to her sleeping bag. "Never again." She said miserably.

"You realize what you just did right?" Sasuke asked the girl. Sakura sank into her bed and laid down.

"Yes, I just got rid of the bear." She said proudly. She now found it slightly funny that she just saved herself and her four male teammates from a vicious wild animal.

"And you threw Ino's animal crackers into the woods for the bear." Sasuke informed her.

Sakura froze her green eyes wide. She didn't say anything for a moment. "You could have stopped me!" she said loudly. Sasuke didn't say anything in his defense and sank down into his sleeping bag.

"Between Ino and the bear, I would choose the bear at this point." Sakura said as she groaned. Oh her friend would not be happy when she found out her animal crackers were now being digested by someone other than her.

"Why would Ino get mad? They're only crackers." Naruto said. He was confused. Why would Ino get upset over a couple of treats? That didn't make sense.

"Just trust me on this one." Sakura said and turned over, now facing Sasuke.

"Whatever." Naruto mumbled and closed his eyes, hoping to get more sleep.

**XxX**

"Rise and shine dear."

Sakura opened her eyes to a half way point. She then shut them again.

"You're not in my top five favorite things to wake up to." She told her grinning ex-sensei. Kakashi's grin didn't fade. He put a hand over the left side of his chest.

"Sakura, you're breaking my heart." He said. The girl merely grumbled and pulled the covers up so she was completely concealed beneath them.

"Go wake someone else." She mumbled.

"Fine." He said and moved over next to her. He hovered over Sasuke. "Rise and shine darling." He said and pulled back Sasuke's sleeping bag. There was a grumble from the boy and Sakura peeked through her bag to see. His onyx eyes began to open. He looked straight at Kakashi and frowned.

"Sakura's right with the top five things." Sasuke said and turned over.

"Oh, well would you like me to transform myself into your favorite pink haired girl then?" Kakashi asked out of pure amusement. Sasuke turned to glare at him and noticed Kakashi making hand signs.

"It's alright. I've woken up to her for the past month. I'll pass." He said and turned over once more. He then saw Sakura's hot glare pointed at him. He rolled over onto his stomach. Problem solved, now he couldn't see anyone.

Next Kakashi advanced onto Sai who blankly stared at Kakashi. "There's a scarecrow on my bed." He said simply and pulled at the sleeping bag. The copy-nin jumped back slightly and sighed. Sai was definitely not a morning person.

And lastly was Naruto. The blonde had his arms spread out and his mouth wide open as a small trail of drool made its way down his face. Sakura looked at him with a face that held disgust. Kakashi kicked at his foot and leant down near his face.

"Rise and shine sweetie." Kakashi said teasingly. The blonde didn't stir.

"Get up Naruto." He said louder. He still didn't move.

"Hinata's got some ramen for you Naruto." Sakura said and watched as the boy shot up. Naruto sat up so fast his head collided with Kakashi's. He fell back down holding his forehead in pain.

"Itie!" he said and rubbed his head. Kakashi remained unaffected seeing as he had his hitai ate on.

"Heh. Alright, the sooner you guys get up and organized, the sooner we get to the hot spring." Kakashi said. A pink head popped up like he thought it would and Sakura threw her sleeping bag off of her.

"Yeah, let's go!" she said enthusiastically.

**XxX**

"Sanctuary!" Ino and Sakura cried at the same time. Their eyes sparkled at the sight of the hot springs. They both led the way into the large building and looked around in awe at the extravagant lobby. The team leaders approached the nice looking brunette behind the counter.

"Ah. Relaxation! Just what I need." Ino chimed, stars in her eyes. "I'm getting a massage and soaking in those hot springs all day."

"I'm right there with you." Tenten said. This is what they all needed. Time to relax and let out their stress.

"Hm. Seems Tsunade pulled some special strings." Kakashi said. He looked down at a note addressed to the four leaders. "She got our rooms already and reserved a separate hot springs for our private use." He said.

"Seriously!?" Naruto said.

"She really has that kind of power?" Kurenai questioned.

"Apparently. Alright, let's get to our rooms." Asuma said took the paper from Kakashi. "We'll be staying as teams. We're on the third floor."

The group made their way to the appropriate floor. The long hallway was painted a creamish color and had multiple paintings hung on the walls. There were several doors on either sides of the hall. Their rooms were some of the last ones down at the end.

"Here. We're in here." Kurenai said and motioned for her team to follow. Their room was number 106. Next, Gai led his team into 107. Asuma and his group were in 108. This left Kakashi's team in room 109.

Kakashi unlocked the door and opened it. He held it open as the others walked in. Sakura went in first and sat on the bed, falling back onto it in total bliss. "No more hard ground." She sighed.

Naruto chuckled as he set his bag down and fell onto the other bed. It was nicer than sleeping on the ground. The bed seemed to sink beneath them and mold into their forms. Kakashi sat at the edge of Naruto's bed. Sasuke set his bag down next to Sakura's and rubbed his shoulder. Sai walked in and started observing the room, looking longingly at a beautiful painting hung up by the window.

"Just one problem." Kakashi said. Three of them looked at him, but the artist didn't seem to hear him.

"Two beds. Five people." He said simply. Sakura's hands grabbed onto the blanket.

"Mine." She growled. The girl glared down her other teammates, showing that she wouldn't give up the bed.

"Right, right. Well…" the white haired man said and glanced at the others.

"I'll share with Sakura-chan!" Naruto said and sat up.

"No you won't." she responded. No way in hell would she.

"What!? Why not Sakura-chan?" He asked, pouting slightly. She didn't cave at the sight of his pout, but frowned at her friend.

"Do you know how many times I was kicked by you in the tent? And we weren't even that close to each other!" she argued. The blue eyed boy gave her an 'I'm sorry' look.

"And I've slept in a bed with you before. You take the blankets, kick me, hit on the face." She ranted on. "Nearly pushed me off the bed. Started attacking me! And once I woke up to you chewing on my pillow!"

"Alright, alright. But I'm not sleeping on the floor." He said. He redirected his gaze at Sasuke who raised an eyebrow.

"Hell no. After what she said. But I'm not sleeping on the floor either. I'm not going from a couch for a month, to the ground for a week, to the floor for a few days, only to end up back on the couch without proper sleep." He said.

Then all of the looks were pointed to Sai who just turned around. "He can sleep on the floor." They all chanted.

Sai looked slightly taken back. He didn't show any other kind of reaction, nor did he argue. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "As long as I'm not sharing with anyone."

"Well then, I guess Sasuke and Sakura can share one bed, and I'll share with Naruto." Kakashi said. The blonde frowned at his team leader. "And I'll hurt him if he does anything Sakura said he has." Naruto then gulped.

Just then, the door opened to reveal Ino. Her blue eyes scanned the room and she found her pink haired friend and marched right over to her. She leant down and whispered into her ear. "Animal crackers. I want some."

Sakura paled. Oh…no. She did not just ask that. Of all the times and not to mention things. Sakura nervously glanced at Sasuke who avoided her look and moved away to check out the bathroom. Ah, he was helpful.

"Why don't you have something else Ino? Some chips for something. Or…I have those cupcakes you love." She offered, trying to persuade Ino to have something else.

Ino shook her head though. "I want my crackers. I have a craving for them…again." She said. The girl's stomach then growled angrily as it was denied food. Ino blushed and covered her stomach. "Just give them to me." She said.

Sakura bit her bottom lip. "Sorry Ino, I can't."

"Why?" Ino asked her tone of voice slightly louder. Naruto sat up and watched as the blonde became upset. Sakura was right about Ino getting emotional about the crackers, and he had no idea why.

"I…well…I uh…I ate them." She said quickly, smiling innocently as she said those words. Ino looked slightly confused.

"You ate…my animal crackers?" she questioned, as if making sure she heard right. Slowly Sakura nodded.

"Yup. I did. You see I wanted something sweet…and they just…came to my rescue." She said. Sasuke emerged from the as she said this and raised a brow before shaking his head and smirking at her. Sakura glared.

"Hmph. You should have had one of those damn cupcakes if you wanted something sweet!" Ino shouted. Kakashi also watched, slightly confused why the girl was giving such a fuss over a couple of crackers. Although, he would never understand woman. Even after taking care of Sakura for so many years, he still couldn't figure them out.

"Don't fuss Ino. Looks like you should lay off the sweets." Naruto said with a chuckle.

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared straight forward. Even Sasuke froze, knowing that the kid had made the biggest mistake of his life. The golden blonde gulped as the light blonde turned to him, death in her eyes. Her scowl deepened and if looks could kill Naruto's future grandchildren would have just dropped dead.

"You did not…just call me fat." She ground out harshly.

"Huh…oh ah…" Naruto started, moving back onto the bed in an attempt to get away from Ino. The girl started moving forward.

"No. Ino…ah…s-stop." Naruto said, now completely afraid of the approaching girl. The door opened again and Shikamaru emerged into the room and moved over by Sakura, watching his girlfriend advance on the loud blonde.

"What?" he said towards Sakura.

Sakura, never taking her eyes off the scene before her, answered. "Naruto said something directed towards her weight." She said.

"Troublesome idiot." Shikamaru mumbled and made no move to help the boy as Ino lunged at Naruto. She crashed into him and the pair went tumbling over the side of the bed. Sakura gasped and rushed over, Shikamaru right behind her.

Lucky for Ino, she landed directly on top of Naruto unharmed. Shikamaru sighed and pulled the girl up. "Do you realize it's not good for you to fall down?" He said.

Ino pouted. "He called me fat." She said in an annoyed tone.

"Well you're not ok. He's just an idiot and can't keep his mouth shut." Shikamaru turned to the group in the room. "Sorry about this." He tugged at Ino's arm and pulled her from the room.

"Wait!" she said and stopped. "I want a cupcake." She said turned to her pink haired friend. Sakura walked to her bag and shuffled through it. She pulled out one chocolate cream filled cake and tossed it to the pregnant woman. She beamed happily and tore the package apart as Shikamaru led her from the room.

"That was…strange." Kakashi said. He received two nods, and neither were from Sasuke or Sakura.

**XxX**

"All that trouble because of one comment Ino?" Shikamaru asked. Once more the girl pouted at her boyfriend.

"Well sorry! It's hurtful ok! Especially since I'm really am going to get fat!" she said took a generous bite form her cupcake.

"What do you mean Ino?" Chouji asked from the bed he and Asuma were sharing. He turned over on his side and eyes the girl suspiciously.

"Oh, ah. Well…we have something to tell you anyways Chouji." Ino said and laid down on his other side. She saw his eye on her cupcake and held it up to his mouth, allowing him to take a bite.

Chouji swallowed his bite and asked, "Which would be?"

"Ano…how do you feel about Uncle Chouji?" Ino asked. She smiled at his shocked face.

"You mean…y-your?"

Ino shook her head. "Yeah, Shika and I are going to have a baby." She said a bit louder than she should have. She covered her mouth as a series of giggled escaped her mouth.

Chouji smiled and wrapped an arm around the girl. Ino did the same and rested her head on his chest, gazing up at Shikamaru who was smiling slightly. Chouji smiled at his best friend. "Congratulations." He said. Shikamaru nodded and fell back onto his own bed.

Ino sighed. "I wish telling my parents would be as easy as telling you." She said to Chouji. The big man chuckled as he hugged the girl tighter to him.

"Do you have to bring the parents thing up again?" Shika asked.

"Mm. Maybe I should get him a number one grandpa cup and let him figure it out." She said. Her gaze went blank as she thought of creative ways to tell her parents.

"Man, between your dad and my mom, I don't know how I'll live through telling them." The genius said, now feeling a sinking feeling in his gut. This just wasn't going to be good. Inoichi was going to be pissed at him, even if he was his best friend's son.

"I'll make sure Daddy doesn't kill you." Ino said.

"That reassuring." Shikamaru said into his pillow.

Silence filled the room until Ino broke it. "How about matching grandparent t-shirts?"

**Anyone have any ideas for the next chapter? It would really help me. I know what I want to do with them when they get back to the village but…for the next chap at the hot springs would really help!**


	19. The Konoha Ninja's Hot Spring Adventure!

**Read the bottom note to find out details of a story I posted about a rap battle between Sasuke and Kakashi!!!**

**Ah…so many ideas…thanks for them all my dear friends! I'll try to get some of them in here…**

**Meh…you all want some Sasusaku fluff? I can…try. Yeah…I'll try. Lol…I just got an idea. **

**Disclaimer: I am a ninja…I don't have to own ninja. **

**This chap is dedicated to ****_Ninaleoliona_ for being my 600****th**** reviewer!**

"He's gay."

"What? No, the one in the grey is gay, Sasuke." Sakura said, looking at the boy while shaking her head. Honestly, can't he tell if someone is gay or not?

"Right. Did you not see him put his hand on his hip?" Sasuke questioned as he pointed at the man in the red shirt.

"Ah, you're both wrong. The guy in the blue is the gay one. The one in grey is taken, and the one in red is straight." Naruto commented. His legs swung in the air as he lounged on his stomach on his own bed. Sai was next to him.

"Right. I have to agree with Emo boy. I think the one in red is gay." The artist said to the group. Naruto scoffed.

"And what would you know about gay guys…oh wait, quite a lot since you are gay!" he said.

Sai looked puzzled. "I don't think I am. What makes you say that I'm gay?" he asked.

Naruto, who was laughing at his own joke stopped as the dark haired boy said this. "No…dude it's a joke. I don't mean you're actually gay…unless you are." He said and scooted away from the boy slightly.

If anyone walked in on the group at the moment, they would find Sasuke and Sakura both lounging back on their bed and Naruto and Sai on the other. The day was growing late and they all seemed to agree to sit back and relax for the time and they could do what they wanted the next day. So, now the TV was on and Sasuke had taken control of the remote. While looking for something suitable to watch, Sakura stopped him on one of her favorites, 'Gay, Straight, or Taken.'

**(For those who haven't seen the show, one girl goes on a date with three guys and she has to decide who is as the title says. But she wants to choose the straight one for herself, so she can date him and they can go on a trip. If she chooses the wrong guy, then him and his girlfriend or boyfriend will win their trip instead.) **

The door opened and Kakashi walked in. "We're going to dinner in twenty minutes." He said to the group. He didn't receive much of an answer, just a few mumbles. He looked at the TV, where all of their gazes were pointed and forced Sakura to shift slightly as he sat next to her. Sasuke was forced to move slightly as well. Poor Sakura was now trapped between her former teacher and Sasuke. She really couldn't complain too much.

As the show dragged on, it was time for the girl (who was an attractive blonde) to decide which of the guys was gay, straight, or taken.

"Hm." Kakashi started as the girl placed her choices. Two others came into the scene and revealed themselves as the boyfriend and girlfriend of two of the guys.

The girl began to speak in a high voice as she said some thing about the guy in grey. In the end she chose him as the gay one. "She's right." Kakashi said.

The girl claimed the one in blue was taken and that the one in red was straight. "Ah ah. She's just picking favorites. She has them both mixed up." The copy-nin spoke as he watched with interest. He received funny looks from the others which he passively ignored.

"Well I still think the one in red is taken. I'm going to stick by my choices." Naruto proclaimed.

"I think the one in grey so gay, but I'm not sure about the others." Sakura said from the middle of the people sandwich on the bed.

In the end, it was revealed that the one in gray was in fact gay, causing Sasuke to scowl. And the one in blue was the straight one. "Sorry, but that's my girlfriend." The one in red said and the brunette behind the blonde ran forward to hug her boyfriend.

"Heh, so I was right." Kakashi said with a concealed smirk. The others glared at him.

"I don't want to know how you got it right." Sakura said. She was let free of the sandwich as Kakashi stood up.

"Come on, we have to get to dinner." He said and ushered the others to get cleaned up.

**XxX**

The light green toothbrush hung out of Sakura's mouth as she was pushed aside by Naruto. She gave him an offensive look as he smiled innocently and prepared his own orange toothbrush. Sasuke then came in, and Sakura was pushed back even more and she threw more annoyed looks around.

Naruto backed out as he began to brush his teeth. He noticed Sai approaching and moved out of the way. Sakura rolled her eyes as yet another person joined her and Sasuke in the bathroom. Who knew they would all brush their teeth at the same time? Not to mention they were all in their pajamas. She felt like she was at a pajama party.

Sai backed out after he had his black toothbrush. He leaned against the wall and Naruto took his place in the doorframe. Sakura was pushed back into the bathroom wall and Sasuke was, surprisingly, hogging the sink and mirror.

It was only then that an idea struck Sakura. She moved past Naruto and ceased brushing her teeth. She looked over at Kakashi, who was contently lounging on the bed reading. Her nose scrunched up at the sight of the book. "Kakashi." She said as best as she could. Her mouth was full of foam at the moment.

"Hm?" he questioned, looking over at the girl. She held a finger up signaling him to wait and went back into the bathroom, shoving Sasuke out of the way from the sink. He scowled at her for being roughly shoved away. She spit out the foamy substance from her mouth and walked back out.

"Why don't you come and brush your teeth? It could be like…a group bonding thing." She suggested. Naruto and Sai glanced at her funny, their eyebrows raised. She was sure Sasuke was giving her a similar look. Oh, but she had her reasons. She put her fingers at the bridge of her nose and pulled down, as if she was pulling down an invisible mask. They nodded in understanding.

"That's alright. It seems a bit crowed over there anyways." He said and returned to his book.

"Aw, Come on, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura pouted, watching him.

"I already brushed my teeth."

"When?" Naruto asked, poking his head out of the bathroom to look at Kakashi.

"…Sometime," He replied absently, returning his attention to his book.

Sai, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura exchanged looks.

**XxX**

Damn. He was cold. Oddly enough, seeing as it was spring time. But yes, Uchiha Sasuke was cold. His toes seemed to be numb, and there were goosebumps along his arms and legs. He wrapped the blanket around himself more, but it was no use. Besides, he didn't want to pull it off of Sakura who was sleeping contently next to him. Not only that, but he was too stubborn to get up and get more clothes. It would be troublesome really. He would get up, walking around in the cold and change. Then he'd have to get back into the bed which would no longer be warm. Plus, there was a chance he would wake someone.

So being the stubborn boy he is Sasuke didn't get out of bed. He glared at the ceiling above him and wrapped his arms around his body. There had to be some way to get warm. Damn people should turn the heat up more. Somehow, he would get warm.

Sasuke glanced at the girl next to him. Body heat? Oh hell no! He was not going to cuddle for warmth. There was no way. He didn't cuddle. Plain and simple. Uchiha's did not cuddle.

For ten minutes he lay there, not knowing what to do. His body wouldn't allow him to rest until he was warmer. Damn it all.

As Sasuke glanced over at Sakura once more, the girl turned over so her back was facing him. Maybe he could inch closer. Just a bit. Who said he'd have to cuddle with her? He just had to get close enough for her body heat to radiate near enough to him. Yeah, that should work. Oh gods, what was he doing?

Slowly Sasuke moved forward. He didn't want to get too close to the girl. She could easily wake up and question what he was doing, and there was no way Sasuke would allow that to happen.

He was closer and could feel the heat from the girl. At least she was warm. He inched forward just a bit more when there was a grumble from the bed next to his. He peered over the top of pink haired girl to find one figure moving. Kakashi sat up and rubbed his head. He let out a long low sight that seemed to echo through the silent, dark room. His sigh seemed to rouse Sakura.

"Kakashi?" she ground out, rubbing her eyes as they adjusted to the room. She watched as the man sat up, his grumpy face concealed by his mask. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Sasuke at this point watched along with Sakura curiously as he moved to the other side of the bed. By the looks of it, Naruto was spread right out, taking up most of the bed space.

"Just fixing something." Kakashi whispered and pulled the blanket off of the sleeping boy. Lucky for him Naruto was such a heavy sleeper. He picked the boy right up into his arms and walked past them all and to the door. He fumbled trying to open the door.

Sakura turned over then and noticed how close Sasuke was to her. She blushed slightly and moved away a bit. "Did I move, or did you?" she asked out loud. Sasuke looked back, startled. His eyebrow twitched, but the dark room prevented her from noticing.

"Uh…" he didn't answer but shrugged, knowing she wouldn't be able to tell. He moved away more and Sakura shifted around. Her foot brushed his and she gasped.

"You're freezing!" she whispered harshly.

"Hn." Was her answer. She grabbed onto his arm to feel the cold flesh and the rough surface from the goose bumps. She then moved forward towards the boy who gave her a strange look. "What are you doing?" he questioned.

"Trying to get you warm. My body heat will keep you warm." She said and scooted towards him. Sasuke backed away slightly. He wasn't sure why. Wasn't he doing that a few moments ago? The door opened again and Kakashi walked in alone.

"I'm fine Sakura." Sasuke said and turned over. Kakashi walked past their bed and climbed back into his own.

"Well, let me at least stay remotely close to you. You don't need to be this cold." She said. Sakura stopped when she was close enough to the boy. He didn't argue or move away now. "And where did you take Naruto?" She asked over her shoulder. Kakashi rolled over on his other side.

"Out." He said simply.

Sakura didn't exactly know what he meant, but she knew he wouldn't have done anything horrible to the boy. She just ignored it and closed her eyes.

Later in the night, Sakura shifted around and moved away from Sasuke. When she did, Sasuke realized two things. Sakura really had kept him warm. And now he was cold again.

Damn.

**XxX**

As morning came, Naruto finally woke up. There was something wrong. He wasn't on the fabulously soft bed he had been the previous night. Now he was on something…hard. Naruto sat up and rubbed his back. He opened his bright blue eyes and looked around. His face contorted as he noticed where he was.

"What the…" For some reason he was in the hallway. Just outside of his door in fact. The boy stood up and knocked on the door.

"Let me in!" he said loudly and continued to knock on the door. The poor kid didn't have a key and had no way to get back in unless someone let him in. "Open up!" he shouted. Still the door remained closed.

Soon his obsessive knocking turned into obsessive pounding. His shouts grew louder as he ignored the fact that people were still sleeping. The sound of another door opening caused him to stop. Naruto glanced down the hallway to see Shino sticking his head out to find what was causing all of the ruckus. He noticed Naruto who smiled innocently and waved to the dark haired man. He quietly shook his head and began to disappear back into his room.

"What was it Shino-kun?" Came a soft voice. Naruto's ears picked this up as he charged down the hall.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto cried and pushed past Shino. He barged into the room and latched onto Hinata. The poor girl wasn't expecting the morning affection and stumbled a bit.

"N-Naruto-kun? What are you doing here?" she asked. Kurenai emerged from the bathroom, rubbing a towel through her damp hair. She gave Naruto a strange look.

"I was locked out of my room, for some reason. I woke up in the hallway." He said. Hinata led him to her bed where they both sat down. Kiba began to stir in the bed next to him.

"Morning." The boy grumbled. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He reached over the side of the bed and pet Akamaru who yawned widely. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the bright orange t-shirt of Naruto.

"What's the pest doing in here?" he asked as he began to climb out of bed. He stood and stretched, his arms reaching up towards the ceiling.

"There were…complications for him last night." Kurenai said.

"Hn. So he invades on our space?" Kiba growled.

"Don't start." Shino said. "Just because you're not a morning person doesn't mean you can take it out on others." Kiba just glared at him and reached for clothes to change into.

"Don't mind Kiba-kun. He's usually grumpy in the morning." Hinata said calmly to Naruto who was glaring at Kiba. Akamaru walked over to the pair and Hinata scratched the large hound behind his ear. Akamaru leaned into her hand, loving the attention.

"Yeah well, I have to get back to my room. I'll just break down the door if I have to." Naruto said. "I'll see you later. Well, unless I can't get in. then I may have to come visit you for a bit longer." With that said Naruto swept down and gave her a quick kiss.

The blonde walked back down the hall and to his door. "Please let me in." he said pleadingly. It took a moment, but the door opened to reveal Sakura. She frowned at the boy and allowed him to enter the room.

"Do you have to knock so loudly?" she asked. The boy had woken her from her sleep. She stalked back to her bed and pulled the covers over her head, pulling them off Sasuke who mumbled something incoherent.

"Why was I in the hall this morning?" he questioned loudly to Kakashi. The white haired man pulled a clean shirt from his bag.

"You kicked me. I said something would happen if you did anything in your sleep." He replied and put his bag back down onto the floor.

"Well, you didn't have to put me in the hall!" Naruto shouted after him. Kakashi ignored his comment.

"Stop shouting!" Sakura hissed and chucked a pillow at the man's face, causing Naruto to fall off the side of the bed. He rolled over and ended up next to Sai who was woken from Sakura's shouts.

"Have a nice sleep dickless?" Sai asked. Naruto glared.

"You better shut your mouth."

**XxX**

"You think they'll come in?" Tenten asked as she slipped into the hot spring. Tsunade had gone all out when she reserved their hot spring. It was one of the larger ones.

"I'm not sure. Apparently this whole resort has mixed bathing." Kurenai said as she sank down into the water. "But you can reserve to have private bathing as well."

"At least that's good. But I didn't tell anyone I was coming here. We all just…left. And if we have another water hole experience…" Sakura trailed off.

There was a slight hiss of pain from besides her and her eyes wandered towards Ino who had cringed and held onto her stomach. She moved towards the girl and put a hand on her back. "You ok?" she asked. Ino nodded and tried to straighten up.

"It happens a couple of times. Just stomach cramps." She said. "I think I'm alright now."

"It does happen. They can get pretty bad." Kurenai stated. "I've had worse. Wait till the thing gets bigger and starts kicking." Ino groaned.

"Um…if you don't mind my asking, what's going on?" Tenten asked.

Sakura looked over at Ino who looked skeptical about saying anything. "If I tell you two, you promise not to say anything to anyone?" Ino asked quietly. She didn't know why she was talking so secretively. They were in a fairly large private hot spring alone.

Both Tenten and Hinata nodded and moved in closer to listen. Ino took in a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

There was a very small smirk on Tenten's face. "I figured as much."

"Congratulations." Hinata chimed. She smiled sincerely at Ino who seemed to force a smile back.

"Yeah well it wasn't planned. Not a lot of people know and I want it that way. The only others who do know are Shika-kun of course, Asuma, Chouji, and Sasuke." She said. A door opened causing the girls to tense up.

"Oh you have to be kidding me." Sakura said as multiple figures appeared in the spring. "And we just got here."

There were shouts of different masculine voices and the girls bowed their heads in defeat. The guys always get the chance to see them in the nude. Always.

"Ah! Man this is nice! A huge hot spring and it's all ours!" came the voice of Naruto. He was the first in the hot spring. The others followed behind him.

"Keep your voice down idiot." Someone mumbled. It sounded most like Sasuke. "The girls are here."

So someone knew the springs were being occupied.

"Really? Hinata-chan! Where are you?" Naruto shouted. Hinata squeaked and sank down into the water.

"Shut it idiot." Shikamaru mumbled as he waded into the water. The group was lucky that the steam of the spring was fairly thick. It was enough to see people, but not see the whole anatomy of anyone.

When the guys came into view, the girls could only groan once more. It wasn't only a couple of them, it was the whole group. Everyone from Naruto to Gai. Oh shit. Eyes were roaming on everyone. It was inevitable. Being in the nude with nothing but hot water and steam to cover you was nerve wrecking. The girls stayed on their own side while the guys stayed not far off, but far enough away.

Except for Naruto.

"Hinata-chan! Mind if I join you over there?" He asked and began to move towards them. Hinata shrunk down, hoping Naruto wouldn't go near her.

"You best stay over here." Shocking as it was, Neji spoke these words and glared at the boy. Naruto froze and looked behind him. Neji had grown protective of Hinata, finding it his duty. Even though he was protective, he had in fact gone against his uncle's words and helped Naruto and Hinata see each other, but Naruto would not go near her while she was completely undressed.

"Yeah, you better not come over here." Ino growled. She did back away a bit when Asuma slipped in near Kurenai. The four other girls stayed back in their own little area while the boys stayed in their own, separated from each other. Kakashi waded into the middle, the water just over his waist. A towel was placed over his face in place of his mask.

"Seems you all aren't comfortable with each other." He said in an amused tone.

Sakura didn't notice when he seemed to magically slip in next to her. She froze when his arm wrapped around her shoulders and he smiled. "See, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Sakura finally got the nerve to react. Naruto started shouting at Kakashi as well as Kiba. "Get your hand off me perv!" Sakura shouted.

"But you love me Sakura." Kakashi said. Oh man this was amusing.

"Ah! Don't touch me! Go away Kakashi! Go! Go! I'm naked you freaking pervert! You're naked! Get away!" With that last scream she punched at the man who ducked down and backed off. He waved his hands in front of himself as Sakura sneered at him, fists raised.

"Sakura, you're not helping me. I'm just trying to show everyone that there's nothing to be worried about. We should all be comfortable with each other. There's no need to be separated like we are."

Sakura was now shrunk down and the water came just under her nose. Her hands were in the air, waving around as she shouted things which could be heard. Small bubbles erupted in front of her as she shouted underwater.

"Calm down Sakura." Tenten said. Although she couldn't blame the girl. Being naked and having your equally naked sensei wrap his arm around you could be terribly uncomfortable. At least Sakura's sensei was attractive. She wouldn't know how to react if Gai did that.

"Tenten! Our most youthful flower! Are you enjoying this vacation?" Came the boisterous call of Gai as he slipped unknowing in next to the girl.

Tenten let out a high girlish scream and fell back into the water. She back away, covering herself as best as she could. "Away! Now!" She shouted at the man. He looked slightly confused.

"I don't know if I can take this." She breathed as she advanced on the other girls. This whole thing was getting too be too much.

"We'll just ignore them. It's not like we can kick them out. They have every right to be here." Hinata said timidly. She was most uncomfortable, never having a lot of confidence in herself. Although she had grown stronger through the years. But the situation could make anyone fall apart.

Naruto apparently said something about going to the bathroom. Kiba smirk and grabbed one of the towels from the side and dipped it into the water before wringing it out. He held the two ends in his hands and flipped it around a few times until it was all wrapped together. When Naruto grabbed a towel and put it around his waist, he stepped out of the spring. Kiba stood and shot the towel forward, successfully whipping Naruto on the back on the leg. Naruto screamed and then jumped. He rubbed the offending leg and glared at Kiba while shouting profanities. Kiba just laughed as well as the others. Naruto made an obscene hand gesture and left the room.

Somehow ten minutes later, a fight had broken out. More of an argument between Naruto and Kiba, but when Naruto pushed Kiba it was declared a fight. But poor Kiba how had been pushed stumbled backwards and into Sakura. Sakura then backed away and stood up, exposing her top half which caused her to sink back down into the water so fast the water splashed around her later than normal. Her face was beet red, her hands had gone to cover herself, and she was praying to every Kami out there that no had seen her exposed self.

But judging by the smirk on some people's faces, or the shock on others, she had been seen.

"That's it! I'm out of here!" the girl shouted and she made her way for her towel. "I'm going for a massage." The other three didn't even bother to convince her to stay and followed her out, all four now making the massage parlor their new destination.

"What? Hinata-chan! If some guy touches you they are dead!" Naruto shouted as he made his way for the exit.

"Troublesome kid." Shikamaru muttered.

"Aren't you worried about some guy touching Ino?" Chouji questioned his friend. He didn't even like the thought, and Ino was just like his little sister.

"Heh, it's nothing to worry about. If they get too touchy, she'll let them know." The lazy genius replied and sank back down into the water. He knew Ino would beat the hell out of any guy who would try to touch her wrong. Her temper was nasty. And it was only worse now since she was pregnant. Hn…troublesome for him.

**XxX**

"Open up Forehead."

Sakura opened the door to be pushed out of the way by Ino. "Come in Ino." Sakura said after her friend entered the room. She walked back over to her bed where Sasuke was and laid back down. Ino came right up next to her and only then did Sakura notice that Ino had something in hand.

A banana split.

Ino shoved her aside and climbed into bed next to her. "Did our bed just go out to the public?" Sasuke asked as he was forced over for the second time. Sakura shrugged.

"I'm always going to be sandwiched between you and someone else huh?"

"Oh shut it. I needed to find someone to share my ice cream with. Chouji isn't in our room so he's out of the question. And Shika-kun fell asleep." Ino said and took a spoonful of chocolate ice cream. Sakura looked down and raised an eyebrow.

"Animal cracker? You got animal crackers on your ice cream!?" she declared loudly.

"Shush." Sasuke hissed as he directed his gaze to the sleeping copy-nin. Sakura covered her mouth.

"Yes I did. Since you stole mine." Ino said hotly and held the spoon of vanilla ice cream in front of Sakura. Chocolate syrup was dripping down the side and there was a hint of whipped cream in it. Sakura happily took the offer and smiled as the creamy, chocolaty goodness slipped over her tongue. She moaned out and earned a strange look from Sasuke, which in turn caused her to blush.

Of all the things she had to moan in front of him! And it was ice cream! Ice cream made her moan in front of Sasuke. Man he probably thought she was a freak.

"Here." Ino said in a darker tone and the spoon was then shoved in Sasuke's face who looked at it as if it would bite him. Nope. No sweets for the bitter man.

"No thanks." He said and turned away.

"Eat it! I can't eat all of this myself." She complained and urged him to take the spoonful.

"Share with Sakura." He said and motioned for the girl next to him. Ino's expressions changed and for a moment it was unreadable.

"Please. I feel bad if I eat in front of others." She said. Sakura for some reason didn't think that was true at all. Ino was a strange girl…or pregnant woman. However you wanted to put it.

"I'm fine Ino." Sasuke said, now getting annoyed.

"Ugh, just take it damnit!" Ino said.

"Hn."

"Eat it Uchiha!"

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something back and Ino shoved the spoon into his mouth. Sasuke cringed as the cold ice cream slid over his tongue. The unfamiliar sweet taste filled his taste buds. Strawberry and chocolate. He swallowed the treat.

It wasn't all that bad.

"Good ne?" Ino said, now smiling once more. Sasuke scowled and crossed his arms. Ino ate a hearty piece of banana and smile contently. Sakura took one of the animal crackers. Kakashi stirred in the bed beside them. The older man stretched and yawned as he sat up, rubbing his neck.

"Want some ice cream Kakashi?" Ino offered showing him the large bowl. Kakashi smiled behind the mask.

"I may steal a piece of banana." He said and reached over for the treat. The door opened and Sai walked into the room, his sketch book with him. Naruto came in right after him yelling at the man. The blonde boy gave a battle cry that caught everyone's attention and he jumped on top of Sai. Naruto wrestled with the dark artist. Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino all sweatdropped as they watched the two.

"Idiot. You almost got us killed!" Naruto yelled as he attempted to punch Sai. Sai easily threw Naruto off and stood up, straightening his clothes.

"You were the idiot. You had to yell at me and catch everyone's attention."

"Yeah, well it's not nice to sketch people without them knowing!" Naruto shouted back.

The three on the bed rolled their eyes and turned back to Kakashi who was chewing behind his mask and rubbing his hands on his pajama pants.

"Thanks for that Ino." He said in thanks and stood, walking towards the bathroom.

Three glares were pointed towards Naruto, who paled at the looks.

"I didn't do anything!"

**XxX**

"Where'd Sasuke go?" Sakura asked as she emerged from the bathroom. She noticed he was the only teammate of her's missing.

"He was walking around out in the gardens last thing I knew." Naruto said as he observed the girl. She was only in a deep red robe that was tied tight around her small frame.

"And no one's watching him?" she asked, gazing at the three.

"Asuma and Kurenai were out there and I don't think they would let him out of their sight." Kakashi said from behind his book.

"Oh. Alright." Sakura glanced at the clock. It was close to ten, but she wasn't feeling tired. "I'm going for a late night spring dip. I don't think anyone would be out there." She said and waved to her teammates.

She opened the screen door to their private hot spring. There didn't seem to be anyone in the room. She smiled. Late night hot spring trip is just what she needed. A time to be by herself and relax.

Sakura stripped from her robe and placed her towel next to it. She stepped into the spring and felt the familiar warm, comforting sensation she felt previously when she first got in.

There was a small sound of moving water a bit away from her. It sounded like someone moving. "Who's there?" She called out, sinking down into the water. She just became conscious of the fact that her top half was exposed, and she wasn't covering herself.

"Relax Sakura, it's me." The deep voice said. Sakura didn't know whether to relax or not. It was Sasuke.

"Oh. I didn't expect anyone to be in here." She said and moved forward a bit. The man came into view and Sakura advanced towards him. She knew she could trust him. He wasn't a pervert like Naruto or Kakashi. Or so she thought.

Sakura settled into a place across from him and sank down into the water. "I thought you were out in the gardens." She said quietly.

"I was." He replied. "But I wanted to come in here. Like you, I didn't expect to meet anyone."

Silence filled the room as they both just sat in the relaxing water. Sakura could feel her stress melt away and her muscles become less tense. "It's a shame we have to go back tomorrow."

"Hn. I don't see why you're complaining." He said.

"Well, it's not my fault your in the predicament you are. You left, you suffer the consequences." Sakura said her voice bitter. He honestly did deserve what he got.

"I had my reasons to leave."

"So what. I'm sure you would have been perfectly fine in the village. Look at Naruto." Sakura said angrily. Sasuke remained calm.

"From what I've heard he left as well." He replied smoothly.

Sakura opened her mouth and shut it again. He got her there. Naruto had left. He left her all by herself. She let her head fall slightly, her eyebrows scrunched up.

"You've gotten strong." Sakura's heart jumped and she gasped. He didn't just say that right? No, Sasuke compliment her? Impossible.

"Don't act so surprised."

"How can I not? You're talking too much, and you complimented me. Who are you?" She asked. This couldn't be Sasuke.

"Hn."

And as fast as the unusual Sasuke came…he disappeared and same old 'Hn' 'Aa' Sasuke returned.

"Ah, whatever. Oh! And we're going to have a new member to our…well dysfunctional family." Sakura said. She smirked as she noticed Sasuke shocked expression. He didn't say a word and she could think of the things that were running through his head.

"Not that. No, I found a kitten before we came here. I left it with Kiba's sister Hana." She said. Sasuke looked relieved.

"Yeah, I have to get when it we get back. I need to think of a name as well." She said trialing off into a train of thought.

"Boy or girl?"

"Huh? Oh, I uh…never found out." She said. It would have been smart to check, or have Hana check. Stupid brain. Never thought fast enough.

"Well that's smart." Sasuke said.

"Meh." Sakura yawned and stretched her legs out. Her feet brushed against Sasuke's and she pulled them back immediately. "Sorry." She mumbled. More silence.

Sakura broke it once more. "I was thinking." She started. Sasuke looked up. "I feel…bad for making you sleep on the couch. No matter how much you do deserve it." she said. He said nothing. "We managed to get by fine last night."

"Are you implying that we share your bed?" he asked. No he wouldn't mind. It would be nice staying on a bed and not that couch. Damn thing was uncomfortable. So any chance to have a better place to sleep he would take it.

"Well, yeah. If you don't mind. If you do we don't have to. It's up to you I guess." She managed to speak out. She grew nervous and foolish for suggesting such a thing when he never answered.

"…Fine."

Well a weight was lifted from her shoulders. At least he didn't reject her.

Twenty minutes passed and the two fell into a comfortable silence. They didn't need words, just each others company. Sasuke noticed his hands began to prune.

"We should get back Sakura." He spoke out. She never answered. "Sakura?" he asked louder. Oh please…she couldn't have…

He moved forward and found the girl slightly slumped over. "Sakura?" he said loudly. He was afraid of reaching out to touch her. If she woke, she would accuse him of something…bad. He would just have to take that chance.

"Sakura." Sasuke reached out and shook the girl lightly. She didn't stir at all. Man she was a bi-polar sleeper. She could sleep lightly one time, and then the next be impossible to wake. "Wake up Sakura."

Sakura moved but didn't wake up. Sasuke sighed. There was no way…he couldn't. But what was he to do? He would get scolded by the others if he left her here. But if she woke up while he was carrying her back…oh dear Kami.

He would take his chances. It would be understandable if she woke up in that position. He would explain that she could either be back in their room, or look like a prune and wake up in hot water.

Sasuke hesitantly scooped the girl into his arms. He stayed crouched down slightly so he couldn't see too much of her. He reached the edge of the spring and set her down by the edge and placed a towel around his waist. His dark eyes spotted her towel and went to grab it.

He stepped back into the water and gulped as he looked down at the sleeping nude girl. Ah why him? "Sakura." He said once more in an attempt to wake her. Still no avail. Sasuke brought the towel around her body and did his best to wrap it around her. Once they were out of the water, the dark boy did his best to keep the towel from slipping off of her and getting her robe on.

He held her still and attempted to put her arm through one of the sleeves. In that process, the towel slipped and Sakura's chest was exposed to the man. A deep red hue spread across his face. Even if he'd seen this picture before. It was still awkward. Especially since Sakura wasn't awake. He felt so...perv like.

Sasuke covered her back up and rushed to get her robe on. He never bothered to tie the string and scoped the girl into his arms. As fast as he could, Sasuke made his way back to their room. He had taken one of the keys and fumbled as he opened the door. The others were asleep. Man, how long were they out there and what would the others think? Specifically when they saw Sakura? He would not change her into bed clothes, hell no.

Sasuke pulled the bed covers back and placed Sakura in the bed. He tied the robe back together without removing the towel. He was absolutely amazed to find that she never woke up once. He climbed into the other side of bed and sighed. Damn that was tiring.

On the other side Sakura smirked. Oh she was good. Even if she had gotten exposed to Sasuke, it was worth it. Just to see his face…priceless. Besides, she found out that he cared for her on some level. He didn't leave her there and he had the decency to clothe her and everything.

Ah life…was turning out better than she could have ever imagined.

**Alright. Nice chappie right? Well the next chapter will start the main plot and it will develop from there. So it will get…interesting. **

**And check out a story I have posted. It's called 'The match.' OMG! It's hilarious. It was written mainly by Rach (you.broke.a.promise…it's been posted on her account too) but it's a rap battle between Sasuke and Kakashi. It's just total crack and laughs. You'll all love it!**


	20. The pursuit to happiness

**Hehe. Alright, the real serious plot starts now. This is where it gets interesting!**

**Anyone else read the latest manga chapter? Whoo! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto sadly. **

They were destined to leave at nine in the morning.

Too bad it was only two in the morning when Kakashi was woken once more by the same annoying blonde. No, he didn't kick Kakashi this time. He didn't even hit him in the face or nearly push him off the bed. No.

Kakashi woke to a pain on his right hand. Or more like his fingers. He looked over to find the kid gnawing on his poor fingers. Naruto had a hold on his wrist and Kakashi's index finger in his mouth, unconsciously chewing on the poor thing.

The copy-nin struggled and finally pulled his hand away from the man who groaned and turned over. Oh he was tired of him. Hehe…he would punish the ones responsible for setting him with the boy.

Kakashi stood and once again moved to pick Naruto up. He took the sleeping blonde and instead of moving towards the door, he stopped right at the end of Sasuke and Sakura's bed and literally dropped the boy on it. The shaking of the bed startled the other two who sat up instantly.

"What the hell!?" Sakura yelled at the invader. Naruto was woken as well and Sakura had chosen to kick him off the bed, where he fell onto Sai who was sleeping contently on the floor. Sasuke glared at Kakashi who stalked back over to his bed. It was then that Sakura looked down to notice what she was wearing. A damp robe and a slightly wetter towel.

Then the events of the night before ran through her mind. HaHa, she could have fun with this and come out with major benefits.

"Uh…" she looked down at herself and pulled at the collar of her robe. She saw Sasuke look out of the corner of her eye. He quickly looked away and narrowed his eyes at Naruto who was arguing with Kakashi. "When did I…what happened last night? All I remember is being in the hot spring…" Sakura trialed off and looked over at Sasuke expectantly.

Naruto chose to shut up and look at Sakura. He noticed her clothing.

"I don't remember walking back to the room." The girl mumbled on. "Did you bring me here Sasuke?" she asked.

Sasuke averted her gaze and turned over, pulling the blankets over his head. He didn't have to tell her anything. He felt a weight on his shoulder as Sakura placed a hand on it.

"What happened?" she asked a bit louder now. Naruto was listening intently.

"You feel asleep." Sasuke said simply, not bothering to look at her.

"WHAT!? YOU SAW SAKURA-CHAN NAKED!?" Naruto shouted as he jumped up, pointing an accusing finger at the seemingly calm Uchiha. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest with an 'hn.'

"So you brought me here?" Sakura asked, raising her voice. She was screaming with laughter on the inside at the look of his face. Along with Naruto's reaction. Not only that, but Kakashi was looking over his shoulder with a narrowed eye and even Sai was staring at the group, slightly interesting.

Another 'hn' was her answer. "Ack! You could have woken me up! What the hell Sasuke! I thought you had more respect than that?" Sakura hollered.

Sasuke froze. Wasn't she supposed to be grateful that he brought her back to the room? "I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't wake up. I wasn't going to leave you there and get yelled at by these guys." He said. Once more the raven haired boy turned over.

Sakura growled. Ah this was fun. He was a truthful man that was for sure. After repositioning herself so her feet were facing Sasuke, Sakura brought her foot back and kicked him harshly in the back, sending him flying off the bed.

Oh man she was dying inside. This was turning out better than she could have imagined.

"What the hell woman?"

"You pervert! All of you…all perverts god! Why am I stuck with so many of them? Who knows what any of you will do next?" She shouted her gazed moving across all of the boys. They stared at her with cute confused faces. Way more entertaining than any TV show, or…anything!

"Humph." Sakura stretched her limbs out, taking up the space on the bed. Priceless faces…free entertainment…and a wonderful big bed all to herself.

"Goodnight." She said with fake anger. She smirked to herself and held in her laughter.

Oh how she loved her team.

**XxX**

"Yes! It's so good to be home!" Naruto shouted as he raced through the gates to the village. He stood, hands in the air in some kind of inward triumph as the others walked through the gates.

"It is nice to be home." Hinata agreed as she looked around her home village. She looked forward to see the outstretched hand of her boyfriend reaching back for her.

"Ichiraku?" he asked with a bright smile. Hinata blushed and nodded.

"But…shouldn't we bring out things home and clean up?" she heiress suggested.

Naruto began to walk with the girl at his side. "Nah. We should just go right away. We might not get a lot of time, plus if you meet your dad before we go out he may not let you."

"Oh, right." Hinata said. She felt her heart drop at the mention of her father. She didn't understand completely why her father was so against Naruto. The boy had really turned around and was really a respectable shinobi. Even if he wasn't respected by everyone, his name held more respect than it had in the past years. Although, this didn't matter to Hiashi. Naruto wasn't up to the Hyuuga standards, and if you weren't up to Hyuuga standards, you were not fit to date a Hyuuga. Especially the heiress of the family.

Sakura watched as the couple left for the noodle bar. The rest of the group began to disperse as well. Kakashi was gone in a puff of smoke. Ino and Chouji were dragging Shikamaru to the barbeque restaurant. Lee and Gai went off to train. Neji also said something about training (away from his crazy teammates) and Tenten insisted on going along. Shino left, saying he promised to help his dad with something when he arrived back home. Kurenai and Asuma waved goodbye as they left for Asuma's sister to pick up Katsurou.

"I'll see you around Sakura." Kiba said as he waved goodbye.

"Ah! Matte Kiba!" Sakura shouted after the boy. Kiba stopped. "I'll walk with you. I have to get my kitten. That is if your sisters home." Sakura said and motioned for Sasuke to follow her. He looked annoyed but followed along, not really having a choice.

"Oh, alright."

Sakura walked nervously in-between the pair as they walked to the Inuzuka home. She glanced worriedly at both Sasuke and Kiba, both of which were blankly avoiding each other. Ah….fun. It was always nice to walk in tension filled air that would break a chainsaw.

**XxX**

"Thanks old man!"

Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand as they began to walk down the street. "Thanks for lunch Naruto-kun." Hinata said. She smiled up at her boyfriend who smiled back down.

"Of course Hinata-chan. Anything for you." He said blushing very lightly while rubbing the back of his head. Naruto looked around. "It's still early. Maybe we should walk around a bit or something. I don't know how much time we'll get to spend together after all of this." It was all too easy to note the disappointment in the boy's voice.

He was angry at Hiashi. He was angry at himself. Angry at what was in him. All because of that demon, that wretched thing. It kept his time with his secret girlfriend limited. He hated having to keep their relationship in the dark. Although many people knew about them, it was only people they could trust. It just wasn't fair. But nothing for him was ever fair. Absolutely nothing.

Hinata squeezed Naruto's hand and smiled encouragingly. "Let's look around the shops." She suggested. The blue eyed boy nodded and let himself be led away by the girl.

**XxX**

"We understand what you're saying Tsunade, but we're just not sure if this is the right decision."

Tsunade glared at the man sitting at the other end of table. She was presently sitting at the head of the table herself. "I don't see why you don't think my decision is the right one." She growled. Her hands clenched and unclenched, gripping the cloth of her pants leg.

"Well, there is enough reason as to why the boy shouldn't become the next Hokage." The feudal lord of Fire country said. He watched her with a stern face. Her fist clenched again and she could feel the pinching of her skin. It wouldn't bug her. She just needed to vent her anger and if it would hurt her, so be it.

Jiraiya, who Tsunade had asked to join the meeting sat besides her. He noticed the tension within her and furrowed his brows.

"I would love to hear some of those reasons." Tsunade said, venom dripping from her tongue. Her eyes burned with such fury it would make anyone run and hide.

"For the obvious reason, the demon that resides within the boy. Can we really count on someone to protect the village, when they may be the one to destroy it?" The lord asked. He stroked his long beard. The action cause a wave of hatred to flow through the Godaime and she had the sudden urge to rip the offensive threading of hair out.

"That won't happen! He's learned to control the Kyuubi. He would never let it take over himself. Never!" Tsunade shouted.

"It's true." Jiraiya butted in. "I have trained with him for quite some time, and his self control has improved greatly."

The comment was waved off as the lord continued. "For other reasons, he is so young. Are we sure he would be able to defend everyone himself. And is he mature enough to settle down and work. He should know it's not all about running around and fighting."

Tsunade grip on her leg tightened. Small red stains began to seep through her pants leg as her nails dug into the material. Jiraiya noticed and grabbed onto her hand as a signal for her to stop. She looked up at him quickly to see his stern look telling her to calm down. She looked away in shame for not being able to control her anger. Oh but this guy really deserved a good punch in the face. He didn't even know the kid like all of the others around the village. Tsunade lessened her grip on her leg and took hold of Jiraiya's hand, hoping it would help her stay calm.

"Who says he too young?" She questioned her voice shaking slightly as she kept her self control. "The Kazekage, Gaara, he was younger than Naruto is now. Gaara was only fourteen (just guessing). Naruto is eighteen. He can handle this I'm sure of it! And I'll always be around to help. Jiraiya too." She added in and looked up at her former teammate who nodded. "All I'm saying is, he really deserves this. He's earned the title and I can't think of anyone better to give it too. He's become respected by many people. He's worked so hard for that respect to. All he wants to do is protect his home. He wants to help his village. He loves this place, I can see it." The blonde's eyes softened as she thought of the energetic boy. He was like her son and she only wanted to see him happy. And she would do anything to help him with his dream. "He would die before he would let anything happen to this village."

There was a moment of silence. No one knew what to say. The words she spoke ran through everyone's head. She was right in every way. The boy would do anything for this village.

"That may be so Tsunade, but we can't just think about the boy. We must also think about the villagers. You know not everyone will be accepting of the boy." The lord said. "There are people out there that are afraid of him. Of what he is."

"What he is? You have no idea!" Tsunade burst out, her fist slamming into the table. Luckily she didn't break it. "Tell me, what is he? He's not a monster! He's not a demon. He's a boy who wants to protect his home and make this place better! If anyone objects to that, then I don't know why they would even live in the same village as him! He's not a beast! That demon is not him!" She cried. Jiraiya made no move to stop her rampage.

"Well then Tsunade. Tell me. If you know what he is…please answer this." The lord said. Slowly the Godaime lowered herself back into her chair, her amber eyes narrowed at the man.

"What is he to you?"

**XxX**

"Do you like this one?" Hinata asked as she held a baby blue blouse. Over the time they had spent together, Hinata had slowly, very slowly, learned to unwind and be herself in front of Naruto. The boy flashed her a smile.

"I'm sure it would look great on you Hinata-chan. Just like anything else would." He said.

Hinata giggled. Naruto had learned something since Hinata started being herself. The girl loved to clothes shop. When you first glance at Hinata, you wouldn't know whether she liked to shop or not. Being an heiress, most people took her for the girl who got everything her heart desired. They thought of her as 'Daddy's girl.' That was Ino's role. Hinata didn't talk to her father often, being they never had time or she tried to avoid it. She knew he favored Hanabi. So if Hinata wanted something, she had to go out and get it herself. There was no, "Oh Daddy I want that!" or, "Daddy this would look cute on me right?" Put a little pout on the end, you get it.

Even if Hinata and her dad got along, that just wasn't the type of girl she was. She liked to use her own hard earned money and get the things she wanted herself. Very rarely would she use any money from the Hyuuga family funds. Only in emergencies would she do that.

"We should find some things for you. Would you like that?" Hinata asked her boyfriend. She had always been the generous one as well, always going out of her way to get things for other people. Besides, she liked to buy people gifts. (So do I)

"Uh, sure we can look around." The cobalt eyed boy agreed. Even if he looked, he could spot something for himself. He needed new clothes. Sakura was always bugging him for wearing things over and over. He would just insist it was clean when in reality it wasn't. It's not like it was stained, smelled rotten, and had holes in it. His clothes were fine. He just needed a few more.

The pair walked out and started down the street. There was a men's clothing store not too far from where they were.

"Hinata."

Oh shit.

At the sound of the voice, the girl turned around quickly and inwardly groaned while she gasped on the outside. "Father." She whispered. Naruto froze on the spot after her heard the voice. He was sweating now and was too afraid to turn around.

Hiashi stood in the street, Hanabi at his side. The fourteen year old gazed curiously at her sister. "Didn't I forbid you from seeing that boy?" he questioned. His tone was low and dark. Hinata nodded. "Yes father."

"Then why would you be out here with him?" he asked. His gaze was now at their conjoined hands. Hinata never let go, even though she saw her fathers pale eyes on their hands.

"B-because…I...I uh…" She trialed off not knowing what to say. She was terrified of her father when he was angry. He caused her self confidence levels to drop. But she had to be strong, for her and Naruto.

"I come out to do a bit of shopping and this is what I find. I'm disappointed Hinata. You went behind my back, against my words." His voice began to grow louder. Passerby's looked but after seeing who was yelling, kept walking at a reasonably slower pace to listen in on what was happening.

"Father, gomen…but…"

"I don't care for what reasons you continued to see him Hinata. I thought I set the rules. As your father and the leader of the household. You are the next heiress and I have the right to approve of who you choose to be with. I…"

"No!" Hinata shouted. She finally had enough of her father. "You don't have that right Father. At least, I don't think you do! You can't choose who I love!"

Hiashi growled and grabbed on to Hinata's arm that was linked with Naruto's. He pulled the girl to his side and quieted his voice. They were causing too much of a scene. Naruto seemed to unfreeze when the connection was lost and turned around.

"Listen, I may not chose who you love but I chose who you go out with. If they are not fit for the family they are not fit for you. And he," He pointed to Naruto who was frowning at the ground. "He is not going to be your husband. Do you understand me?"

Hinata visibly shook. "No." she gasped out. A tear fell down her cheek and she avoided looking into her fathers eyes. Hiashi took Hinata's chin in his hands and forced her to look at him. That look…that was not a good look. Her father was furious…beyond furious. She had to do something…to keep them both safe.

Slowly she turned to the blonde who looked up at her anxiously. "I-I'm sorry N-Naruto-kun." She whispered in a barely audible voice. Any color left in Naruto's face was drained away by those words and the small mount of hope in his eyes faded away.

Hanabi stood behind the group, watching in slight horror over what she had just seen. She wasn't informed on her sister having a secret relationship behind their father's back. And she never expected to see her father get this angry. But she was angry. Not with Hinata, but with her father.

"Hanabi take Hinata home now." Hiashi spoke. Hanabi jumped slightly when he spoke but nodded. She walked forward and took hold of Hinata's hand and gently pulled the girl away.

"I'm s-so sorry N-Naruto-kun." Hinata sobbed.

"Come on." Hanabi said in a gentle tone and pulled her sister away. She looked up with sympathetic eyes.

"Hinata." Naruto said. The girl froze and turned to her love. "It's alright. I'll be waiting for you." He said. Hinata tried to smile but hiccupped instead.

When they disappeared into the crowd, Naruto gulped. It was just him, and probably the only person he would really be afraid of.

"That is my girl," Hiashi spoke. His eyes were small white slits as he glared down at the boy. "And I don't want you anywhere near her again."

Naruto's brows furrowed and he looked away, trying to avoid the harsh gaze of the head family member. He felt that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and the immense dislike for the man in front of him. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something. He wanted to defend himself and tell Hiashi off. He never cared about being rude to people.

But he couldn't do it.

He tried again, but there was a large lump in his throat preventing his actions. He couldn't look the man in the eye, he couldn't say anything in his defense. He wanted to tell Hiashi off and that Hinata can love and marry anyone she wants. That who cares if she's going to be the head of house soon. If he was good enough for her, he should be good enough for the family.

But the words wouldn't come out.

"That's what I thought. If you can't defend your right to be with her against me, then there is no reason you should be with her."

With those last words, Hyuuga Hiashi walked away and disappeared after his daughters.

**XxX**

"W-what?"

"You heard me. I don't want to know what you think he is in general. What is the boy to you personally?" the feudal lord asked.

Tsunade scowled down at the desk. Was it some kind of trick question? If she said she was close to him, they would say that she could be picking her choices based on favoritism. If she said the opposite, they could say that she doesn't really know him and that she was unsure if he really was good enough to be Hokage.

Then, the hand that she had forgot was holding hers squeezed again. She gasped slightly and looked into the smiling face of Jiraiya. The white haired man nodded. Tsunade took in a deep breath.

"He is…like a son to me. Over the years, I've watched him train. Since he was a twelve year-old genin to the eighteen year-old jounin he is now. I have seen him drop out, completely exhausted by his training, only to stand back up and keep on going. He is amazing in my eyes. Truly amazing. I know he can do this job. He has his heart set on it, and I know he is strong enough to do it."

Her voice faded off into the silence of the room.

"If that's all you have to say, I must be going." The lord said.

"What about your answer?" Tsunade asked suddenly as he began to stand. The man motioned for his assistants to follow him as he made his way towards the door.

"Tsunade. I'm not saying no to the boy. But I don't know if he would make for the next Rokudaime. But…we'll see." He said and exited the room.

Inside, Tsunade stared at the tabletop, no words passed by her lips. Jiraiya never said anything either. He didn't know what to do or how Tsunade would react to him opening his mouth. He felt the woman's hand fall from his own and a small whisper came from her mouth.

"I think I just let Naruto down."

**XxX**

Sakura knocked on Naruto's front door. Sasuke impatiently stood behind her and asked why she didn't just call him. She growled back that since they were out of the house getting supplies for her kitten, it would be better just to go see him.

The girl turned the door knob to find it open and walked into her friend's apartment. She set her bags down and took her sandals off, then motioned for Sasuke to follow. The raven haired boy just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Naruto? Are you here?" Sakura called out. It was pretty getting later in the evening and she was certain he would be home already. Sasuke stood in the living room as Sakura walked around, poking her head into each of the rooms. There was a crashing sound form the one room the kunoichi didn't check and she rushed to his bedroom.

She gasped and rushed forward when she saw the sight. Naruto curled up on the floor bawling his eyes out. Her worried side came out as she spewed questions out left and right.

It took a while but Naruto sat up and attempted to wipe the tears away. "I d-don't get it S-Sakura-chan." He said. Another sob escaped him as he closed his crystalline eyes. Sakura wrapped her arms around him in a comforting manor and he rested his head on her shoulder. His own shoulders shook.

"What happened?" the medic whispered. She could feel the sinking feeling as she watched a new batch of tears fall.

"He took her. S-she was everything t-to me and he took her!" his words now sounded rushed and angry. He forced a smile. "T-the world just d-doesn't want me to be happy huh?" he said and hiccupped but pulled it off as a strangled laugh. Sakura shook her head.

"The world does want you to be happy." She said quietly, her head now resting on his. "It just…has some bad times. It's not an easy road in the pursuit of happiness hun." Her calm, gentle voice seemed to calm the boy slightly.

Sasuke appeared in the doorway and Naruto tensed up, not wanting his rival to see him so vulnerable. He hid his face and rubbed his eyes.

"J-just stubbed my toe teme." He growled and looked the other way.

"Don't play with me. You don't have to be a big man all the time." Sasuke said. Even he had seen the immense amount of love Naruto held for Hinata, and from what he heard the blonde say, the girl was taken from him.

"Coming from you, those words mean nothing." Naruto said.

"Sasuke." Sakura said in an attempt to keep a fight from happening. She gave him a certain look. The raven haired man sighed.

"I'll go make some tea." He said and left.

"Everything will be fine Naruto." Sakura said soothingly and hugged him tightly.

"I don't know." He replied.

Today, it just seemed that the world was against Uzumaki Naruto.

**Alright, took a bit but it's here. Keep the reviews coming. Got questions about the fic…ask me! I'll try to give you the best answer I can!**


	21. A visit from past teammates

**Thanks for still loving the story! I'm sorry that I had to do that to Naruto! I feel horrible, but…it's all part of the story! It will get better for him. **

**And I'm afraid to say updating this will get hard. I go back to school on Wednesday and it's going to suck. I know it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the sad boy. **

Sakura set her tea cup down and turned herself on the couch. She looked at Naruto who had his shoulders slumped, his head hanging. "You're coming home with us tonight." She spoke out. The comment caught his attention, as well as Sasuke's. They both looked up at her.

"I'll be fine Sakura-chan." The blonde said quietly. He didn't want to be any kind of trouble, and her place was small for three people.

"Naruto, all those years ago…you refused to let me stay home by myself. You insisted that I stay here with you." Sakura said. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It really did help me. So, you are going to stay with me no matter what you say or think. You won't be any trouble."

Naruto knew there was no room for argument, especially with Sakura. At this point, she wouldn't allow 'no' as an answer. He had always bugged her about staying with him before, after her parents died. He couldn't stand seeing her looking so depressed and he just knew that she had to be feeling the same way about him.

Slowly he nodded his head. He heard a mumble of, "good" beside him and stood up off the couch and went into his bedroom. He returned with a small back of clothes and things he needed. "Shouldn't keep your kitten waiting." He said, trying to sound cheerful. He received an unintentional pitiful look from Sakura and a roll of the eyes from Sasuke.

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**XxX**

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"Mou. I don't know where she went. I wanted you to see her." Sakura said and knelt down onto her hands and knees. She picked up the bottom of her bed cover and looked around under her bed. There was no sign of her new kitten.

"Shira." She called, already knowing the fluff ball wouldn't respond. She had decided on the name because 'shiro' means 'white' and being that her kitten was a girl, 'Shira' seemed to fit.

"It's alright Sakura-chan. Really, I'm sure I'll see her in time." Naruto assured his friend. Sakura nodded and sat up off her knees.

"You're right." She said quietly and stood up. Sakura averted her eyes from the sad blue ones and looked around her room. "You'll be fine on the couch tonight?" she asked.

It seemed at that point, when Naruto really heard the tone of her voice, he realized everything that had happened to him. It seemed like everything was fine, but he was mistaken. His girlfriend was taken from him. Who knows when he would see her again? But Hinata was strong, and he knew she was most likely dealing with this. Knowing her, she would be trying to find a way to fix this whole problem.

So he had to be strong too. And if putting on a mask for a while meant being strong, then he would do it.

So Naruto grinned.

"Of course Sakura-chan." He chimed, quieter than his normal tone of voice. He would try to keep a happy face on. He would see her again. He would see Hinata again.

Sakura returned his smile. "Alright. But you'll tell me if you need anything right? Even if you have to wake me?" she questioned as they walked into the living room together. She looked into the deep blue eyes she had come to love so much and could still see the broken expression they showed.

She could see right through his act.

But she wouldn't do anything. She knew what could happen. She had put up that same boundary years ago and Naruto had tried breaking through it. His efforts were in vain though. The wall wouldn't come down and at this point, Sakura knew nothing would break through his own boundary he put up.

"Scoot your booty up boy, it's time for sleep." Sakura said as she walked into the living room and shooed Sasuke with her hand. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm watching TV. You can sleep." He stated simply and redirected his vision to the television. Sakura frowned and snatched the remote from him and shut the TV off. The room was now only lit by the lamp.

"Naruto wants to sleep. You're on his bed. It's almost eleven so we can all go to sleep now. We have training in the morning anyways." The girl explained and pushed Sasuke lightly. "If you want to continue to watch TV, drag it to my room. Though I can't sleep with the TV on, so that really isn't an option I guess." Sakura started to make up the couch for Naruto who was standing off, watching the scene before him. She shoved Sasuke lightly who sighed and stood. He walked down the hall to Sakura's room.

"Has the Teme been bugging you?" Naruto asked. He tugged at his blue pajama pants and stared at the floor.

"Sometimes." Sakura replied and placed a pillow at the head of the couch. "There. It's all set." She said and admired her handy work.

"Well, you just knock him one when you need to." The blonde said with a very small chuckle. Of course he was being all serious.

"Right." Sakura watched as Naruto got under the blanket and settled down on the couch. He rested his head on his pillow and turned to Sakura.

"Thanks…Sakura-chan. You know…for everything."

Sakura leaned down and kissed the boy's forehead. "Don't mention it. It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me." She said. The pink haired girl pulled the blanket further up the boy and stepped back to turn the lamp off.

"Oyasumi." She said.

"Oyasumi…Sakura-chan." He replied between a yawn.

Sakura walked down to her own room. Sasuke had turned the lamp on so she could see and was already in the bed. She shut the door behind her to ensure that her kitten would stay in the room. She wanted to keep it in her room for a little bit before she allowed the neko to explore the rest of her house. She wanted to make sure it was getting used to people and being indoors.

The kunoichi walked over to her bed and climbed in. She sighed contently as she sank into her own pillow. Beside her, Sasuke moved as he sat up to shut the lamp off. The room fell into darkness except for the soft moonbeams that floated into the room. Sakura's green eyes watched the beams of light, terribly self conscious of the man next to her.

She felt this way back in the hot springs. She had goosebumps on her arms at the mere thought that Sasuke was lying next to her. Her heart betrayed her mind as it skipped a beat. Her non existing hatred was replaced with forbidden love that rushed through her veins.

And she hated it.

She wasn't supposed to feel this way. No. And she shouldn't want to turn over and cuddle into the man's warmth. She was supposed to question herself for letting him share a bed with her. She wasn't supposed to feel giddy that she was able to be so close to him.

Uchiha Sasuke.

But emotionally, she didn't want to be close to him. She didn't want to develop feelings for him. But alas, her heart had truly betrayed her.

She was afraid.

Afraid of getting hurt again. The last thing Sakura wanted was to be hurt and depressed and have her friends worry about her. She hated the fact that she couldn't be strong enough to hold herself up. She was a shinobi; she was supposed to be strong. She always let her feelings get in the way of everything.

She was just too…too weak. Too weak then…and even now she was weak.

And to prove it a very small sob/hiccup escaped her.

Quickly she covered her mouth and clenched her eyes closed. The tear droplets fell and she cursed herself. There was shuffling besides her as Sasuke moved around. He had to have heard her. There was no way he couldn't have.

"You ok?"

And the last bit of sanity her body was frantically hanging onto left her.

"F-fine." she mumbled and pulled her blanket further up her body, practically pulling it up over her head. Couldn't she choose when to magically disappear? It would be such a nice thing. She always seemed to expose her weak side to Sasuke. Damn. It. All. To. Hell.

He seemed to have taken her excuse because there was silence again. Sakura willed herself to calm down and turned over to she was facing Sasuke. Or his back at least. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes clean from any tears.

"Sure you're alright?"

"Are you?" Sakura retorted. What was with him? Asking if she was ok. That's just…absurd. For Sasuke at least.

The man turned around and was facing her. She froze under his glare. "You yell at me whenever I'm not concerned, then you questioned me when I am concerned."

"Yeah well…you're…weird." She could have smacked herself right there.

"Whatever." Sasuke readjusted his pillow and closed his eyes. There was some shifting next to him and he opened his eyes to find Sakura moving towards him. "What're you doing?" he asked.

Sakura froze once more. "I honestly don't know." She said and inched closer to him. "I just feel…like I need someone close to me at the moment." She answered lamely. For the most part, she wasn't lying. She also knew Sasuke could tell she was making it up. Or acting. But maybe he'll play along.

"Hn." He didn't back away. If he did, she might start crying again. He didn't want her to start crying again. He wanted to sleep. And if that meant she would be near him as they slept…he would live with it.

"Thanks."

Sakura closed her eyes and willed any thoughts from her head.

Maybe she could get a good night sleep tonight.

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**XxX**

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Sakura stirred the contents of the pot in front of her and moved towards the spice cabinet. She shuffled through various spices and seasonings and pulled out the one she wanted.

There was a faint knock at the front door. She expected someone, (between Sasuke and Naruto) to answer but when there was another knock soon after she found out neither of them moved their lazy asses off the couch.

"Answer the fricken door!" she hollered.

She didn't know who did, but someone was grateful enough to answer the door and allow Sai to enter her home.

It was all her idea and at the moment she thought she was crazy to have ever suggested it. But currently she was making dinner for her whole team. Kakashi was due to come over, but she wasn't sure when he would arrive. He always was the late one.

But she was just about finished with making dinner and she prayed as she turned the stove top off, that Kakashi would arrive slightly early so that all the food she prepared wouldn't go cold. She slaved over the meal and there was no way that one man was going to ruin it.

Five minutes later there was another knock and someone answered it quickly this time, most likely to save them all a beating. Sakura put a kettle on the stove top for some tea when she heard it.

His voice.

"Where is she?"

Kakashi never said anything about him coming along! But…oh this was too good! No way! He was here!

Sakura rushed out of the kitchen and smiled brightly at the man standing in the doorway. "Genma!" she cried. Her face was so bright.

Genma flicked the senbon in his mouth and smirked at the girl. "There's my girl." He said teasingly. Sakura charged forward and enveloped him in a hug. Naruto, who had graciously answered the door, stumbled back and retreated back to the couch. Sai and Sasuke both were glancing over the back of the couch at the odd show.

Sasuke was most confused. Genma? The last impression he had of Genma was of him being the proctor of the final rounds back at the Chuunin exams. And Sakura was hugging him. What other weird things happened while he was away? He heard Sakura's mindless chatter to Genma as he followed her into the kitchen. He couldn't stop his glare that followed after the pair.

"Dobe. Explain." He said calmly. Beside him, Naruto savagely ate a chip from the potato ship bag that was chucked at his head by Sakura after he complained of hunger.

"What? Sakura-chan and Genma? Oh, I don' know…ever since Sakura stayed at Kakashi's she and him have been close. Their relationship is…weird actually if you ask me." He said and brushed the crumbs around at the bottom of the bag.

Kakashi stepped into the room and took a seat in the vacant chair and sighed. He noticed Sasuke's glare. "You have nothing to worry about Sasuke. Genma and Sakura…are like best friends I guess. They just…clicked when they got to really know each other." He commented and placed his bare feet up on the coffee table and reclined back into the chair. "He would never make a move on Sakura. Although he might kill the man who tries to. He became…protective of her." Kakashi smiled behind the mask. "So ask Genma permission before you decide you want to date Sakura ok?"

Sasuke's glare was now directed towards his former teacher who chuckled. "Shut you mask." He growled.

"Dinner time!" Sakura chanted. She looked so happy from the doorway of the kitchen. Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai all looked up and noticed the same thing…it was the first time they really saw Sakura smile in a long time. A very long time. The group, even Sai was amazed to see her so enlightened.

"Kakashi get your nasty feet off of my table!" she shouted.

Even her good side had a bite to it.

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**XxX**

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Sakura was in the kitchen, washing the dishes from dinner. The guys were finishing their meals and she thought it would be easier to start cleaning up. As she scrubbed a pan she felt a hand on her waist as Naruto leaned over her shoulder and placed his dish in with the others. He bent down and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks for that Sakura-chan. It was really good."

Genma followed after and kissed her cheek as well. "Thanks doll."

Kakashi was next and after seeing the string of 'thank yous' placed a masked kiss on her cheek and thanked her for the meal. He smirked. She must be loving the affection. Or not. She could be taking it either way.

Sai walked in. "I don't have to kiss you right?" he asked. Sakura shook her head no and placed the clean dish in the drying rack. "I get something though right?" she asked in a joking manor.

"Uh…I guess." He replied and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave the girl a half hug.

"Thanks Sai." She giggled. He walked off as Sasuke entered and placed his dish in the sink.

"Thanks." He said and turned on the spot. Sakura looked over her shoulder, her mouth agape. Sure she made him dinner every night, but she made a large dinner tonight. Nothing more than a 'thanks?'

"Teme! You get in there and show her a real thank you!" Naruto demanded. Sasuke scowled.

Naruto pushed at Sasuke to re-enter the kitchen. "Go…thank…her…properly!" He said and proceeded to push Sasuke who was pushing back. At that moment a senbon whizzed in front of both boys and stuck into the wall. They both looked over to Genma who was smirking from the couch.

"Go thank her properly." He said smoothly.

Sasuke narrowed his onyx eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Why was everyone making such a big deal out of this? He did thank her didn't he?

"Shiranui Genma! Did you just put a hole in my wall with your senbon?" Sakura shouted from the kitchen.

"Damn, does she have eyes on the back of her head? What have you been teaching her Kakashi?" Genma questioned his friend. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.

"Guess that's my secret."

Naruto, who had seen his opening, pushed Sasuke rather harshly and the boy was knocked into the kitchen. And audible growl escaped his lips.

"Sasuke? You…uh, well don't have to listen to them. It's alright really." Sakura negotiated, knowing that saying thanks never was something Sasuke was good at. Sasuke sighed, admitting defeated. If he went back out there, there would be hell to pay. If he refused to say thanks or help her, he knew there would be some tiny form of guilt in the build-up of neglected emotions he had.

Neither sounded appealing.

So Sasuke walked over to the sink and took the dish towel from its place on the stove handle. He picked up the newly washed and wet dishes and proceeded to dry them.

And Sakura smiled. She smiled because she knew that this was Sasuke's way of saying thanks.

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**XxX**

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She didn't exactly know what to do. If she moved she could wake him. If she didn't move…she would have to continue to suffer. Sakura shifted her leg which caused Sasuke to move his leg, which startled Sakura who in turn moved away slightly, causing Sasuke to groan from his loss of warmth and bring his arm around Sakura and drag her closer so she was right up against his chest. Sakura was frozen stiff and praying that she could get away before he woke up.

Coal met emerald.

Oh damn.

"Uh…." She had no way to explain their position. Their legs were a tangled mess. Sasuke actions had Sakura right up close to him and they both didn't know what to say. Really,

Sakura just woke up to find them like that.

At that moment, a small white head popped out from underneath Sakura's dresser and Shira pulled herself out from her hiding spot. Sakura turned over slowly, trying not to scare the small neko. The kitten walked over to the wall by the closet where Sakura had placed a food dish and water dish. She sniffed experimentally and settled down and took a nibble of food in her mouth.

"Hm, she's so cute." Sakura said, smiling at her kitten.

Sasuke never responded but untangled himself from the girl next to him and stepped out of bed. Shira immediately looked up and backed away, frightened by the sudden movement.

Sasuke walked on by and the scared neko rushed under the bed.

"You scared my neko Sasuke!" Sakura said loudly.

"Hn."

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**XxX**

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He was bored stiff and needed to get out. Sakura was at work and he was left sitting in the chair. He wanted to train. To get out of the small apartment. That's all; it wasn't so much to ask for.

He looked at the couch where his 'guard' of the day was snoozing. There couldn't possibly be a worse guard out there at the moment. Shikamaru just slept.

'_He probably hasn't gotten any sleep with Ino nagging him for everything.' _He thought.

Could it be possible that he could slip out without the boy knowing? He should try at least. But…

Sasuke looked down at his ankle. Tsunade still thought he should have the damn monitor on and he didn't have the key. So what was he supposed to do about that? Well he knew one thing; the key was in Sakura's room.

He knew it must be well hidden. She wouldn't leave it in the open, and he hadn't seen it. It shouldn't be too hard to find. Though it was an invasion of her privacy. What was he to do? Respect her privacy and suffer in this small apartment that would surely drive him mad…or search a bit and possibly get a taste of freedom and training.

Oh, he would risk anything at this point.

Sasuke stood up off the chair and went into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. Shira hissed at him and darted for the cover of the dresser. Sasuke honestly didn't know how long it would take that cat to get used to people, but if it kept hissing at him…

Ok, ignore the cat, start your search.

Sasuke looked wherever he would think of. He checked in the bedside drawers. There was nothing there. He checked every section of the small desk that sat in the corner of the room. Nothing there either. He went into her closet and searched every inch of the mini room.

Standing in the middle of the room, Sasuke closed his eyes. When they opened, they were red. His sharingan eyes scanned around the room. He just needed to spot something that had a key shape form. Something that seemed like it would fit.

"There." He muttered under his breath.

There was a small key shaped object in the top of her drawer in her dresser. He moved to the dresser and pulled the top drawer open.

And there was the reason as to why it was in the top drawer.

When Sasuke saw the key, he noticed it was at the bottom of the drawer. Buried…under Sakura's underwear.

The gods were officially laughing at Uchiha Sasuke.

But he wanted the freedom and he most likely wouldn't be presented with an opportunity like this again. Knowing Shikamaru, he could sleep all afternoon until Sakura got home tonight. He had to do it. He's faced more terrifying things before in his life. This wasn't a problem.

He just had to get to the ke…what's this? Sasuke cautiously picked up a thong. It was white and lined with red. On the front was a chibi cherry and the small printed cursive words that read, "Innocent?"

If he was anyone else, he would have either laughed or kept them for himself. But he was Sasuke, and he placed them back down with a small smirk on his face. Who knew Sakura would own something like that?

But when he looked back down into the drawer, he noticed there were more thongs and underwear with cute prints on them. But he wasn't interested, not in the least. He shuffled through the rest of her underwear and found what he wanted.

He picked up the small key that Tsunade had given Sakura and smirked with triumph. He was out of here. Why didn't he ever think of this sooner?

Sasuke took a peek outside the room to make sure Shikamaru was still asleep. He was, not to his surprise. The raven haired boy went back into Sakura's room and sat on the bed. He inserted the key into the lock and felt a relieved feeling when he heard the small clunk and the monitor fell off of his ankle. He was free.

Now he just had to leave. That wouldn't be a problem. He looked over at the window. He could easily slip out and take off before anyone could see him.

Making quick seals, Sasuke produced a shadow clone. If anyone came into the room, they would just think he was sleeping. He placed the monitor on his clone and walked over to the window. He wretched the thing open and a gust of wind blew through the room. A sense of thrill was sent through him and fueled his desire to get out. Swiftly, Sasuke jumped out the open window and jumped into a near-by tree. He took off as fast as he could toward the woods and towards his freedom.

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**XxX**

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Sakura walked through the streets towards her home. She was finished with work, she just wanted to get to her house. She daydreamed as she dragged her feet. Of course, in her own little world, she walked into her home where everything was nice and neat and dinner was already made, everything was perfectly fine and everyone was happy.

Though when she walked into her reality home, she found her home slightly messy, no dinner waiting for her, everything was not perfect and no one was happy or unhappy.

She just found Shikamaru sleeping on the couch.

Sasuke on the other hand was rushing as fast as he could to get back to the apartment. He had stayed out far longer than he wanted to, and it really wasn't his fault. While he went out to the training field he had run into…complication in the form of former teammates. So he had to run back to the apartment all the way from the Uchiha manor which was practically on the other side of the village and he was confused. He didn't know what he was going to do for the next few days.

Looking up, Sasuke noticed the window was still open and leap up into the tree. Right at the moment when Sasuke came in through the window, Sakura walked into her room looking terribly pissed off.

They met each others look. Sakura glared and Sasuke attempted to look away. His shadow clone was still in tact and he released the justsu, sending the bunshin away in a puff of smoke.

Sakura looked from the bed, to Sasuke to the open window, and then back to Sasuke. "Explain." She demanded hotly. Her arms were crossed and her foot was tapping the floor with lack of patience.

"I went out." He said bluntly. He watched as Shira playfully poked at the catnip filled mouse Sakura had bought her. (My sister's cats go nuts with those things)

"I understand that! Why!? Where? How?" She blurted out, her arms being flung into the air. Sasuke sighed and sat back on the bed. Shikamaru opened the door and popped his head into the room.

"You better go Shikamaru or I'll make it so you and Ino won' t have any more kids you lazy ass!" Sakura shouted. Shika's eyes widened and he knew to take the leave. He should just escape while he could. Man everything was troublesome. He got to go from being yelled at by one mean girl, to going home and being bossed around by a pregnant mean girlfriend.

Once Shikamaru left Sakura exploded. "You…you…idiot! Why did you leave? Do you know how much trouble you could get in! I can't believe you! Where did you go huh? How did you get out? The monitor…the key…" she trailed off in realization.

"YOU PERV! You went through…my…my….no! I can't believe you! Oh you are so dead Uchiha! Dead! I'll strangle you!" She shouted, inching forward to the boy who remained stoic. He wasn't afraid of her at all.

There was a knock at the front door which Sakura either refused to acknowledge, or she never heard them. "There's someone at the door." Sasuke said.

Sakura let out a howl of frustration. "This better be important!" she cried out as she practically ripped the door off it's hinges. There on her door step was a girl with short blonde hair and silver eyes covered by glasses. She had on very short black shorts and a white shirt that was open at the bottom exposing her flat stomach. She glanced around Sakura, looking into the apartment.

"Can I help you?" Sakura as harshly. She observed the girl closely. There was something off about her.

"Uh…yeah. Sasuke-kun, is he here?" she asked with a slight attitude.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at this girl. Was it some stupid fangirl. Really she didn't need this at the moment. But this girl…there was something…

"What's with the genjustsu?" Sakura asked. The girl looked slightly startled that she was found out so easily. She smirked.

"Who are you?" she questioned.

And Sakura snapped again. "Very funny. Asking me who I am when you show up on my doorstep! I'm in a bad mood already and then you show up! What the hell?"

At that moment, Sakura's bedroom door closed and Sasuke walked out into the living room. He looked at the door way and froze. He recognized the clothes and knew it was a genjustsu.

"Sasuke-kun! I knew you were here I could feel your chakra!" The girl pushed right past Sakura and invited herself into Sakura's home, causing the pink haired girl's eye to twitch. She shut the door and turned around quickly to see the genjustsu girl had let the justsu fall. She now had red hair and red eyes. Her hair was long on one side and short on the other. She clung onto Sasuke's arm.

"Karin I told you to stay at the Uchiha home." He hissed and pushed her lightly off of him.

"Suigestu's being a bastard and I can't stay with him any longer! I followed your chakra and I found you here. Why are you here anyways?" she asked as she looked around. She looked directly at Sakura. "And why are you here with another girl?" She ground out, venom dripping from her tongue.

"Hm, maybe I should be asking that? Who are you and how do you know Sasuke?" Sakura asked. She glared at this 'Karin' and then looked up at Sasuke.

"Who are you woman?" Karin asked in a snotty tone.

"Sasuke."

"Sasuke-kun."

At the same time both girls asked.

"Who is she?"

**Oh…cliffy. Sorry I had to leave it there. Honestly I was going to stop a long time ago, but I didn't. Everything will be explained in the next chapter!**

**Review cause you love me and I love all of you!**


	22. Team Hebi

**I'm sorry…I know you all might be confused. It will be explained right now. **

**And I Hate Karin as well! I detest that girl and she needs to die a slow painful death while Sasuke and Sakura make out in front of her!**

**And for those who don't know who Karin is go to She'll be in with Sasuke's information. Check that before you read this. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. **

**This chapter is dedicated to **_**battenburg**_** for being my 800th reviewer! Thank you so much!**

Sasuke didn't like the attention he was getting as the two girls stared at him waiting for answers. He seemed to shrink away, not wanting to witness either of their reactions.

"Explain now Uchiha or you will get it! Who is this girl that showed up on my door step and how does she know you?" Sakura growled. She held her fist up threateningly.

"Sasuke-kun, honestly why are you staying with a girl? This girl…that one right there? How long have you been staying with her? You haven't done anything with her have you?" Karin asked, pointing her finger at Sakura.

'_If you only knew.'_ Sakura thought with a smirk.

"Will both of you shut up? You're giving me a headache." Sasuke said and rubbed his temples. He moved away from both girls and sat on the couch. Jealousy really was a sin. And fricken annoying. Oh, but jealous girls were always the worst.

"Well, you better explain." Sakura said through clenched teeth. She received no response and it was obvious he wasn't going to talk. "Alright," she started as she rounded on the red head that was glaring at Sasuke. "He won't talk, but I'm sure you will. Who are you?" She questioned.

Karin crossed her arms and stuck her nose up. "My names Karin and I was specially picked by Sasuke-kun to be his teammate." She spoke proudly. Sakura raised a brow and turned to the raven haired man.

"Is it true?" she asked. Sasuke nodded his head.

Oh…that kinda hurt.

"Anyways, when are we going to leave Sasuke-kun?" Karin asked her 'supposed' teammate. Sasuke whipped his head around and glared at her. Sakura stared at him intently.

"What do you mean leave?" Sakura pushed. She was so confused. Her mind was spinning. She understood that this...girl…was apart of Sasuke's team he had formed himself, but she still didn't get anything else.

Sasuke said nothing once more and Karin spoke for him. "Sasuke's coming with us. A team always sticks together and it took us forever to find you."

Sakura was too shocked for words. He wasn't saying anything. It scared her. He wasn't really going to leave was he? He couldn't. Though…at the moment…he didn't say he was staying either. He kept saying before that he wasn't wanted here and that he was better off leaving. But that wasn't true. Not at all.

So he was going to leave? With his team? Wasn't she part of his team? Apparently not.

"Yeah…go Sasuke." She said in a dark tone. "A _team_ is supposed to stick together right? So why not join your _team_?" Her glare was unmistakable and her green eyes sparkled intensely. Her fists were clenched on either side of her body as she tried to control herself.

There was a long silence were Sakura glared at Sasuke who remained silent. Karin was attempting to figure out was going on. She glanced back and forth between the two with confusion in her ruby eyes.

"Sasuke-kun? Honestly…how do you know her?" she asked.

More silence hung in the air. Sakura wanted to beat the man senseless but she reframed from doing so.

"She's…" Sakura held her breath. What? What was she to him? "She's just a teammate. She was on my first team." He spoke. He purposely avoided her look. He knew that she would murder him in time. He also knew that that wasn't the answer she was hoping for.

"I really am nothing to you huh?" she said quietly. "I never have been, I never will be. I obviously meant nothing to you when we were twelve, I mean…you knocked me out and left me on a bench for Kami sake! But…now I know people never truly change."

He couldn't say anything. He had nothing to say. So he sat there. No words fell from his mouth. He couldn't say anything at this time at least. Not yet. But when the time was right…he would say something.

"Karin I think you should go." he said.

"What? But…Sasuke-kun! You have to come with me! You're coming with us right? We need your help with Juugo! He's been acting up a lot lately. Suigetsu might get killed soon trying to keep him under control!" Her voice suddenly grew stern. "You're the only one who can really control him! And what about that medic you told us about? You said they were going to heal Suigetsu and Juugo!"

Sakura's eyes grew wide as she turned right towards Sasuke. "You did NOT say that I would heal anyone! What were you thinking! I don't even know these people and you expect me to waltz right up to them and be like… "Oh let me heal that!""

Karin's mouth fell open. "Her? She's the medic? Is that why you're here?" she asked.

"Alright. He's here because he's living here!" Sakura practically shouted, having heard enough asking as to why Sasuke was in her house.

Karin's mouth fell open more in possible. "What? No! He wouldn't! You're not right? What the hell? Sasuke-kun you're not living with this chick right? Oh, you have some explaining to do!"

'_Please make them go away.'_ Sasuke prayed silently.

"Oh get over it. Sasuke you jerk! I'm really not going to forgive you now! First you go through my underwear now this!?" Sakura declared loudly.

"WHAT!?" Karin screamed.

Sasuke just sank down into the couch.

**XxX**

Call it a medic's honor, or some crap like that, but the thought of someone out there being injured just caused her to want to help them. So she walked besides Sasuke who was in-between her and Karin. She and Karin both forced a brief explanation out of Sasuke. Sakura was definitely going to get a longer explanation later.

"We have to hurry; I don't want a lot of people to see me." Karin said quickly and ushered the other two along.

Sakura now understood that Karin was a missing nin, as Sasuke was before and that the people she was about to see were as well. Sasuke had made her promise that she wouldn't say anything. It was hard for her, but in the end she agreed.

"We're almost there." Sasuke assured her. He pointed forward and the Uchiha manor came into view. Within five minutes the trio was inside the mini village and on their way to Sasuke's old home.

Sakura looked around curiously. This was her first time in the Uchiha compound. The abandoned buildings were broken down. Banners bearing the Uchiha fan hung all around, some torn, some in mid condition. It was hard to believe that this place was once home to Konoha's most powerful clan. And one man changed that whole fact.

But he was gone.

Sasuke stopped in front of one home and looked up at it. His old house, the home he grew up in stood before the three. Sakura looked up and presumed it was his house. She looked over to his face was the same emotionless face she had come to know.

"Let's go." he said and opened the door.

**XxX**

It was getting darker outside as Tenten yawned. She finished washing the dishes from her small dinner and dried her hands. She was changed for bed in her tank top and pajama pants. Although, it wasn't bedtime for her. She was ready to just sit back and chill on her couch. That's all she wanted to do at the moment.

But nothing was nice and normal and peaceful for ninja. So as soon as Tenten sat down there was a knock on her door. "Ugh." She looked up at the clock to see the numbers 9:47 looking back at her. Who could be at her door at this hour?

Lucky for her she had her weapons pouch by the front door and took a kunai out. She didn't think that an enemy would knock on her door and wait for her to answer it, but these days you could never be too sure.

When Tenten did open the door, she had her weapon raised and she only opened it a small bit. She peeked out and looked to see the sad looking face of her friend.

"Hinata?" she asked.

"Y-yes. Tenten it's me. I'm very sorry for coming to you so late at night but…do you mind if I come in?" the girl asked. Tenten observed her and noticed she had her travel bag on her back.

The brown eyed girl moved aside and allowed her friend to enter her home. Once she closed the door, she turned and found the timid girl looking frightened. She was staring at the floor and fiddling around with her jacket sleeve. It was as if she was twelve again.

"Hinata why are you here? It's late. And why do you have your bag?" Tenten asked. She could only think that the girl was going on a mission and prayed that she wasn't in the group. She didn't want to leave this late at night. She wanted to go to bed.

"Um…I…I." Hinata paused and looked up at Tenten. Her eyes were clouding with unshed tears and she shook softly. She looked so lost, like she didn't know what to do.

"I…ran away from home."

**XxX**

Sakura seemed to take in any detail she could when they first walked into the Uchiha home. She couldn't stop her wandering eyes. Sasuke walked in passively and Karin followed terribly close behind him. After taking off their sandals, the two girls both followed Sasuke through the bare front entrance and to a staircase.

On the second landing there were multiple doors leading into separate rooms. Sasuke stopped and opened the second door that resided on the right side of the hall. He opened it and stepped in. After Karin entered, Sakura followed behind them. The room was dimly lit by a lamp on a desk. There was a figure laying on a circular bed and one sitting in a chair by the desk. Sakura didn't know if either of them were sleeping or not, and she looked expectantly up at Sasuke, waiting for him to make the first move.

But Karin made the first move and walked over to the figure in the chair and shook him harshly. "Suigetsu wake up!" She said loudly and shook him harder. The person grumbled and picked their slouched head up.

"Knock it off woman! Damn that hurts!" he complained. Karin growled and glared at him. She turned away with an "hmph." "There's a medic here." She said coolly. Her eyes darted at Sakura who was standing near Sasuke and glared as hard as she could.

Sakura took a good look at the man in the chair. He looked exhausted. His white-aqua hair was messed up and his eye lids drooped over his pastel blue eyes. His purple top was torn in a few places and overall this guy looked beat. She never moved towards him. She wasn't fully aware of what he could possibly do to her and she didn't know how he would react to having some unknown person walk right up to him. So she stood back at Sasuke's side. He was her safety spot at the moment and she felt the sudden need to stick by his side. He knew these people, she didn't.

"Back so soon Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked in a mocking, playful tone. He smirked through the pain he was feeling and his eyes fell on Sakura. "Oh, and who do we have here?"

Sakura wanted to shrink under his gaze. He was looking at her as though she was a piece of meat and she didn't like it.

"She's a medic." Sasuke explained. He motioned for Sakura to go over to Suigetsu and she hesitated at first. She didn't like being told what to do anyways, and Sasuke thought she was going to be all nice and heal these people? Alright, yes she might heal them, but not for him. And she refused to heal that Sasuke lover Karin. Luckily it seemed like she didn't have any injuries though.

The pink haired medic sneered at her teammate. "I never said I would heal anyone." She said childishly and crossed her arms over her chest. She narrowed her angry green eyes. Sasuke was dragging her into his trouble. He couldn't leave her alone could he?

"Just heal them Sakura. It's not a big deal and I know you can't stand to see someone injured." Sasuke said. He walked around her and to the bed where he sat on the edge. He observed the man resting on his old bedtime space. "I'll explain more to you later."

Still not at all happy, Sakura sighed. She walked over to Suigetsu who gave a weak smirk up at her. Ah, so he was the flirty fun one? She could tell right off the back, and she wasn't impressed at all. Even if he was in perfect condition…if he tried using sweet words with her, there was no way she would buy into it.

"What's most injured on you?" she asked in an almost bored tone of voice. She'd probably have been more comfortable healing Shino. And that was just…weird. Shino was…bug boy.

Though when she looked down at Suigetsu and saw his teeth through a forced grin…she wanted to back away. Razor teeth? They were like that Shark man's teeth. The one…Itachi's partner. Wonderful…more sushi people.

There was a questioned to ask. _"Would you like to be wrapped in rice or seaweed?" _

Great. Sasuke was friends with freaks. What was the one on the bed like? So we have Shark boy, the girl who desperately needed to get her hair fixed, and a mystery person. Abso-fricken-lutely wonderful.

"My arms I guess. That lug Juugo was one touch cookie to hold down. Damn Sasuke where were you when we needed you? I could be dead right now from trying to keep him under control!" Suigetsu complained. Sakura hesitantly leaned over him. His arms were bandaged already and she began to take the dressings off. His strong arms were bruised and bloody. Her brows pulled together as she looked them over. Both looked as though they were broken. She made the seals for her healing jutsu and ran her glowing green hands over his arm.

Behind her, Karin began to snoop about. She knew it would be impossible to go around unnoticed. Sasuke would stop her if he wanted, but he didn't. He carefully watched as Sakura took care of their weakened teammate, but she could feel him watching her as well. It gave her excited chills knowing he was watching her.

She moved over to the desk and looked out of the corner of her eye. She saw the peaceful look on Suigetsu's face as that medic healed his arms. The man really was pathetic in her eyes. Being able to easily fall for the girl after he just met her. Stupid womanizing git. But oh well, maybe he could take the lowly girl and she could have Sasuke all to herself.

It was then that her eyes caught something. Something square that was face down on the desk top. She gently picked it up and noticed it was covered in dust. With a quick wipe it was clean and she was looking directly at the old photo of the original team seven.

The first thing she noticed was the twelve year old Sasuke and his grumpy scowl. That hadn't changed too much. She looked at the equally grumpy blonde kid with striking blue eyes. He was glaring at Sasuke. For a moment she studied the white haired jounin behind the group. Then lastly she looked over the smiling, bright pink haired girl in the middle. She looked so happy. She looked so enlightened. She looked as if nothing would ever harm her.

Karin was jealous.

She was on Sasuke's team. She knew Sasuke first. She had gotten to know him and probably knew him better than she did. That girl got to go on missions with him. That girl got to be around him. That girl got to be with Sasuke.

She didn't.

And even now, when she was supposed to be apart of Sasuke's team, that bitch was. Karin looked over at Sakura was busy healing the shark boy's arms. What was so great about her? Why was Sasuke staying with her? He could have easily left the house and have come found her but no. He chose to stay with that wicked girl.

Damn bitch.

"You know Sasuke, we should go. Leave her to heal them in peace." Karin said as she place the photo back down. She smiled sweetly and ignored the look Sakura threw at Sasuke. The pleading look begging him not to go.

"I think I better stay here." He said calmly. He never took his eyes off of Sakura as she looked relieved by his answer. "By the way Sakura, I'm thinking of staying here tonight."

Her healing jutsu fell. "WHAT!?" she questioned loudly. Her eyes were smoldering as she turned to the man. "No. You can't Sasuke. You have to stay with me so there is no way you can stay here! If Tsunade-shishou finds out she'll have both our asses! I do not, repeat do NOT want that woman pissed at me."

Karin was inwardly jumping for joy. Oh, she could spend time with Sasuke alone!

Sasuke went on talking as though Sakura never spoke. "You'll stay here with us."

Karin's face then fell.

"Do you not understand me? We will get in trouble if someone finds us here." Sakura spoke.

"Who's going to find us here?" Sasuke asked. Sakura remained silent, not having an answer to his question. "Exactly. But we'll need food to accommodate us. There wouldn't be anything left here safe enough to eat. It's been almost seven years since I was last living here." He spoke with little emotion. Sakura looked at him skeptically. Beside her Suigetsu moved his arms around, happy to have them all better.

"Thanks baby cake." He said teasingly and flashed her a wink. Sakura was not moved by his playful talk and scowled.

"Don't baby cake me asshole. And I'm not paying for anything. I don't have any money with me and I'm not buying food for…" she looked around. "These people."

"I've got it covered." Sasuke said. "Now come have a look at Juugo. I'll make sure he doesn't harm you."

"Your words make me feel ever so safe." Sakura joked sarcastically and was happy to move away from Shark boy. Karin stood impatiently in the corner of the room. No one seemed to take notice to her though.

Sakura was slightly nervous about this 'Juugo' person. If he'd done that to Suigetsu (who had appeared to be strong) then what could he do to her? And what could Sasuke do to prevent anything from happening. She looked upon the gentle looking face of Juugo. He looked practically harmless if you ignore his large size. His orange hair was tangled up. He had multiple gashes along his body along with many bruises.

"What happened to him? It looks like…a sword…" her words trailed off as she was interrupted.

"That would be me. I didn't want to…but I didn't have much of a choice." Suigetsu said. He brought his hand over to the sword at his side and Sakura mentally slapped herself for not noticing the large sword in the first place. She examined the blade from her place on the edge of the bed and frowned. It looked familiar.

Then it clicked.

"That sword…it belonged to…"

"Momochi Zabuza." Suigetsu spoke proudly. "He was my sempai."

She looked over at Sasuke in confusion. He never returned her look. "How did you get it? I thought we left it when we buried him." She said. Suigetsu looked surprised. He hadn't been informed that Sakura was Sasuke's former and current teammate.

"You buried him? Sasuke…wasn't it your team who defeated him?" Sasuke nodded to the question and everything slid into place in the water nin's mind. "This girl…she was your teammate wasn't she?"

Once again Sasuke nodded. He would have loved to leave the room, but his protection over Sakura prevented it. He wouldn't allow Juugo to harm her, knowing perfectly well it wouldn't suit the larger man at all if he harmed her. Plus the fact that he was thinking of Sakura in a different way and wanted to protect her.

While their conversation was going on (or Suigetsu's game of twenty questions) Sakura already began to heal Juugo. With the amount of injuries the man had, it would take a while for her to make sure she hadn't skipped over anything.

After Sasuke was forced through another explanation, the pale blue eyed boy knew he wouldn't get too much more out of Sasuke. "You know you want to get me some water Sasuke." He said as he realized just how thirsty he was. Though with his special abilities, he drank more water than a normal person.

"Get it yourself. Kitchen's downstairs." Sasuke replied absently and watched Sakura work for the second time that night. He noted the tired look on her face and could feel her chakra depleting.

"Tch. It's your home and I'm technically your guest. You get it for me." He retorted. Sasuke gave him a blank look suggesting that he wasn't going to do anything of the sort. "Oh come on Sasuke. I was just healed and I'm still soar. Please?"

"No."

"Seriously, please. I really need water."

"No."

"You suck dude. It's only one thing. Are you always this mean?"

"…"

"Go get it."

"If it'll shut you up I'll get it!" Karin said a vain popping out from her forehead. She adjusted her glasses and walked to the door. "The room on the right from the front entrance room?" she asked to make sure. Sasuke jerked his head in a small nod.

"Get two of them. One more for Sakura." He said as he studied the girls face again. She was getting exhausted and close to her limit.

"Of course." Karin said in a bittersweet voice. Her eye twitched. Why did she suggest being the damn maid?

When Karin did return she shoved the glass of water into Suigetsu's hand and received an evil look from the man. She then smiled nicely at Sasuke as she handed him the water. He nodded his head in thanks. "Sakura you should stop." He said. "You can finish healing him tomorrow if it's needed."

By the looks of it Sakura had healed most of Juugo's worst injuries. The glow of her hands dissipated as she stooped. Her head drooped down into her chest. She was tired from all of the healing she had done and her chakra levels were down. She looked up as a glass of water was held in front of her and she was shocked to see Sasuke holding it there. It wasn't like him to be caring.

"Thanks." She said and took the glass and immediately drank from it.

"I think we should all rest and talk tomorrow." Sasuke suggested to the group. It was late into the night, and had to be close if not past midnight.

"You're lucky I don't start work until the afternoon." Sakura said sleepily. She yawned.

"Where are we all going to sleep?" Karin asked. She wasn't keen on the idea of sharing the room with her teammates, and would much rather share with Sasuke.

"There's a room next to here you can have Karin." Sasuke said. She looked disappointed.

"What about you Sasuke-kun? You can join me if you have no place to stay. I don't mind sharing." She said hoping he would take the bait.

"I have a place to stay." He looked down at Sakura. "You'll come with me."

It was like some weird miracle or something. This was the most Sakura had heard Sasuke speak. She wasn't complaining, but it was weird hearing more than the words, "Hn" or "Aa" coming from his mouth. So it was her time to remain silent and she nodded.

"You'll be fine here?" Sasuke asked Suigetsu. The aqua haired man looked over at his sleeping teammate and nodded.

"I don't think he'll wake before morning. And if he does, you will hear my scream and I will pray that you'll come running for me." He joked.

After Sasuke had assured Karin that he was fine staying alone with Sakura for what seemed the hundredth time, Sakura followed her dark haired teammate down the hall to the last door at the end. He opened the door to reveal a large master bedroom. The king sized bed sat in the middle with a deep blue comforter. A bookshelf was in the corner of the room along with a small desk and chair. Two dressers sat on the opposite walls from each other. A bedside table resided on either side of the bed, perfectly in place. There was also a door which Sakura proposed lead to the closet.

"It was my parent's room." Sasuke spoke. Besides the room needing to be dusted and cleaned a bit, everything seemed to be the same as how the two elder Uchiha's had left it. A framed Uchiwa hung on the wall above one of the dressers. Sakura could only think that their clothes were still in those dressers.

Sasuke walked over to the bed and spoke quietly. "Sorry if it's a bit dusty."

She was almost too shocked to respond to his apology. "I've slept on the bare earthy ground before. A bit of dust isn't going to bug me." She forced a weary smile on her face and walked over to the bed. "You don't mind if I strip down a bit do you? I mean, if you don't want me to I won't."

Sasuke didn't answer at first, almost unsure. It shouldn't bug him, he'd seen her exposed. Even in it was on accident. "Sure." He said. He hadn't expected her to be so open about revealing more skin than normal. She seemed like the…shy, innocent type. So it didn't seem like her to strip down in front of him.

But she obviously was fine with it because her shirt went up over her head and she was left standing in only a black sports bra. Her arms seemed to move her chest in self consciousness, even though she was the one who initiated that she took her shirt off. She removed the white skirting and left her tight black shorts on. Now, it seemed like a bad idea that she stripped down when she was let in only her shorts and bra. But it was a warm evening and she fell asleep easier with less clothing on.

Sasuke had taken his shirt off and climbed into bed left in only his long shorts. Sakura settled in next to him and sank down into the pillow. She was very tired after healing the two men, but she wasn't ready to sleep until she got a good explanation of everything that had happened to Sasuke and just who these people were.

So as Sasuke rested on his back, she rolled over on her side and propped herself up on her elbow.

"So, explain everything to me. From the beginning." She said.

**XxX**

"What do you mean ran away Hinata?" Tenten exclaimed frantically. She stared in awe as the girl nearly broke apart.

"I-I couldn't s-stay there T-Tenten." She sobbed. "H-he was so…degrading. A-and the w-whole family is t-talking about an a-arranged marriage."

Tenten led the girl to her couch and set her down. "I'll get some tea." She said and rushed off to make the beverage. When she returned she frowned down at her friend. The poor girl had tears streaming down her cheeks and she was shaking even more. She rocked back and forth gently.

"Everything will be fine Hinata." Tenten said soothingly, trying to calm her down. She had never been good at comforting people, but she had to do her best for Hinata.

"I d-didn't know…w-where to go. I-I don't have any o-other place to g-go. I'm sorry if I'm a-a bother." Hinata said and hiccupped. "I-I can't go t-to Naruto-kun's home. It w-wouldn't be safe."

Tenten nodded in understanding. When the family finds out their heiress ran away, Naruto's place is probably the first place they would look. She could only hope that no one would think to look here. "What about this arranged marriage?"

Hinata wiped away her tears and forced herself to stop crying. She took a deep breath. "I'm going to be the next heiress. And the next heir must be married within three months of earning the title, if they aren't already. And the family only wants us married to higher clan members or people they approve of." Hinata said miserably.

"Oh." Tenten said. Her face fell at the words. Hinata noticed the disappointed tone of voice and looked at her friend.

"What's wrong Tenten?"

"Nothing. Just…having to marry someone of high standards. It must be hard to find someone for you guys…and your cousins." She said. Tenten took a long drink from her tea.

Hinata took what Tenten said into though and got what she meant. "Oh! Tenten no, I didn't mean it like that! I'm sure the family would love you…I mean for Neji of course. Really, you don't have to be part of a clan."

Tenten waved a hand in front of her friend face to stop her. "It's alright. I don't think he likes met too much anyways."

"Don't say that before you know the truth." Hinata said. She stared down into her tea cup. She felt the same way with Naruto. She never though the boy would ever like her. But everything just turned around. And they loved each other. If it weren't for her father, or family standards, she would be able to happily be the one she really wanted to and not be running like a coward.

"Now, give me full detail of why you ran away." Tenten said.

"Right. Well, father started dictating me into whom I should be dating and who I shouldn't. It was like he was trying to tell me who I could love and who I couldn't. Then he went into this whole talk about becoming the head of the family and it drove me crazy. I know that there are a lot of responsibilities and everything, but he is exaggerating a bit too much." The kunoichi paused for a moment, full intent to continue. It wasn't in Hinata's nature to rant on or talk bad about anyone, especially her father. But at the moment, it was like a breath of fresh air to get everything out.

"And he said that I'm not allowed out of the house without someone with me. One of the family, or Kurenai for training. He thinks I'm going to me with Naruto-kun. I think Neji's going to be around a lot. Father took him aside to talk to before." She said.

Tenten couldn't help the shocked look on her face. "That's ridiculous." She said. Hinata nodded.

"I feel like I'm being treated like a little kid."

There was a moment of silence that was broken by Tenten. "You know you can stay with me as long as you need. I really don't mind. It gets lonely here anyways, so someone to share this with will be nice. Even if you are on the run."

That forced a giggle out of both girls. "Thanks." Hinata said.

"Anytime. Now, it's getting late and I have to go train in the morning. You can join me if you want."

"Yeah, alright. Thanks Tenten."

**XxX**

"I guess I should begin after I killed Orochimaru." Sasuke spoke. Sakura looked upon his face with anticipation. She would get to hear him talk even more, and he was going to explain things to her. Maybe she should document this.

"I wanted to form a team that would help me beat my brother. So I went out to get the strongest people established at the base." He said.

"And you got those three?" Sakura interrupted. Sasuke merely looked at her with an un-humored face.

"Yes. Suigetsu and Juugo both are very strong and Karin is highly skilled in tracking and sensing chakra." He said. Sakura almost snorted. Wahoo…she could sense chakra. "Anyways, the four of us traveled as Team Hebi for those a couple of years."

There was a small pause before he continued on. "I found Itachi when we spilt up. The last thing I remember is fighting him. Then I woke up in a hospital bed with you looking over me." He said. He mindlessly scratched his leg and looked over at her. "Apparently the three of them have been looking for me for awhile. Since I was brought back here."

"I got all of that, but why are they all here? In your old home?" Sakura asked. She wasn't exactly sure why the group was hidden here in the Uchiha estate and that was what she really wanted to know.

"When I left your home I went out into the woods. Out to the training grounds. I wasn't planning on running off I only wanted to train. And I could feel Karin's chakra and she ran up to me. I was in shock and she explained that she had been following my chakra for some time. She said that they needed to a place to stay for a bit because of the injuries the other two had." Sasuke explained.

Now it was starting to make sense to Sakura. So the group of Team Hebi was just trying to locate Sasuke and they did. And Sasuke offered them a place to stay. Weird that he would offer some sort of sympathy to old teammates. He never did with her or Naruto. He tried to kill them.

"When you were with them…nothing happened between you guys…right?" she asked quietly. Sakura held a strand of pink hair between her fingers and twirled it as a slight distraction.

"If you mean between me and Karin, then no." Sasuke spoke. "Jealousy really is a horrible thing Sakura."

Sakura frowned. She hated her sudden possessive behavior. She sounded like Ino. Or that red headed four eyed freak girl. "Sorry." She said snobbishly. "You're not exactly an easy person to get over!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Ino got over me didn't she?"

"Yeah, well Ino had someone to turn to! She had someone else to love and love her back! It was easier for her and she didn't know you like I did!" Sakura argued.

"You had someone. I never told you that you couldn't be with someone else did I?" Sasuke retorted. Sakura sat up and glared down at Sasuke.

"Don't mention that Sasuke! You don't know what my relationship with Kiba was like!"

"Then tell me what it was like." He said coldly. Sakura stared at him in disbelief of his words. It wasn't like him to argue back. Normally he would just ignore any words you through at him.

"No! You don't deserve to get full detail! You are such a jerk! You never cared for me! You were never nice to me! You never gave me a chance!"

"Then let me have that chance."

Sakura's words stopped as he said this. She attempted to calm her angry breathing as his words registered in her mind. "W-what?"

"Give me another chance Sakura. Go out with me." He spoke so casually, it was so un-Sasuke-ish. His eyes never left hers and she was so shocked, almost afraid of what he said. He couldn't possibly mean what he said.

"Stop lying." She said quietly. "It's not nice to lie."

"I'm not Sakura." Sasuke knew that no words would convince her.

"Then show me you're serious. The Sasuke I know wouldn't just ask me out! It's…too good to be true." She said. It hurt that he said those words. He was just joking around. The worst thing you could do was play with the heart that you broke.

So Sasuke showed her. He went with a gut instinct and leaned up into the girl. Their lips met in a for a brief moment, but the contact sent warm chills through the girls body. She was mesmerized that that one touch could give her such good feelings. Her stomach was doing flip flops and her heart must have stopped. She swallowed the lump in the throat.

"You're serious huh?" she asked. He nodded.

But she didn't know what to do. Of course she wanted to accept his offer. She wanted to go out with him, be his girlfriend. That's what she had always wanted. But she didn't want to get hurt. And with Sasuke, she was guaranteed to get hurt. So what was she to do? Go with her brain or her heart?

"Then yes, I'll go out with you." She said in finality.

**Yes! Let the Sasusaku fluff commence! I know you will all love what I have planned, so just hang on for the wild ride! Like the long chapter?**

**Please review! **


	23. The crash course of life

_**HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAKASHI!!!**_

**I can't tell you how happy it makes me when people are enjoying my writing so much. I really am trying to update as fast as I can. School really isn't a bother at the moment but it will most likely get worse. **

**So be prepared for long periods of no updates though I will try my hardest not to let that happen. I'll try not to be lazy. I'm typing every night when I should be sleeping, but I'll live. **

**And no Naruto still doesn't belong to me and never will. **

**(P.S. Karin must die! But not in my story. We'll just torture her.)**

**This chap is dedicated to the one person who gave me wonderful ideas when she spent the night. Fruits Basket rules!**

Shikamaru quietly opened the bedroom door and looked over at the bed. He could see the large body shape under the blankets. So that's where she disappeared to.

It was morning and like every morning, Ino woke up before him. She made breakfast and woke him up and practically dragged him out to eat. He growled the whole way and when he sat at the table and looked at down at the food, he waited a few seconds before asking, "Aren't you going to join?"

Ino had still been standing and when she looked down at the cuisine she made, she made and face and shook her head. "Not now." she said before exiting the kitchen. Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and assumed that she must not have been feeling right for obvious reasons.

The girl was three months along now and her morning sickness was fighting a winning battle. She was feeling ill almost every morning. The girl's eating patterns were getting out of whack and Shika was getting worried. Sometimes she would binge, and other times she would go a whole day without being able to even stand the smell food. There were times where he was close to calling Sakura because he thought there was something wrong, but he waiting things out and everything turned out alright. He was just concerned. He didn't want anything bad to happen to Ino or the baby.

So now he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Ino's head was the only thing uncovered by the blankets and he softly stroked her hair. He sighed as he began to think about what the pair of them where going to do. It was already getting obvious that there was something wrong with Ino. She wasn't exactly big, or fat. Nothing of the sort. She looked almost the same.

But 'almost' the same isn't 'the' same. When you're a ninja, the condition of your body stood out drastically. So the slight bit of weight gain Ino had was enough to send out signals to anyone that there was something up. She was either getting lazy, or someone was going to be buying child proof protection for their ninja tools soon.

They were going to have to say something sooner or later. And he would rather say something sooner, just to get it out of the way. But he was afraid of what may happen to him when Inoichi finds out that he impregnated his little princess. There would be major hell to pay and he wasn't sure if he would come out alive.

But besides Inoichi, he had his own parents to worry about. Not so much his father. Shikamaru honestly didn't believe his father would be upset let alone proud. But his mother would nag him to no end. She would make sure he was doing everything she could get him to do. And guaranteed the subject of marriage was bound to come up.

But did Shikamaru want to marry Ino?

The lazy genius looked down at the presumed sleeping beauty. He couldn't deny that he truly loved her. After he had gotten past her over obsessive, loud side, Shikamaru found her gentle caring side. She was nice, she was smart, and she was beautiful. She was everything any man could want. And Shika knew she loved him in return, no matter how many times she called him a lazy ass.

Shikamaru chuckled.

"What're you laughing about?" came a sleepy voice. Looking down, Ino's blue eyes were half open at she looked up at the man sitting next to her. Shikamaru smiled back down and kissed her forehead.

"Nothing." he replied. He stroked her hair again in a soothing matter, but that didn't help the poor girl. She groaned as her hands made their way to her stomach.

"This sucks." She mumbled. Her boyfriend looked down in sympathy. "I blame you." She said after.

"Right." Was his only reply.

For a few moments, it seemed like everything was fine. "I think I'm going to be sick." Was then heard and Shikamaru was thrown off the bed as Ino dashed off for the bathroom attached to their bedroom. The lazy boy groaned at his own pain and forced himself to stand up. He walked over to the shut bathroom door.

"You alright?" he called from the outside. There was no reply besides the toilet flushing and the sound of the sink running. He sighed mainly to himself and could faintly hear a knocking noise. It was someone knocking at the front door.

Yup that's all he needed now…visitors.

Hoping Ino would be fine on her own; Shikamaru left the bedroom and wandered out to the living room only now noticing that he was still pajama clad. Oh well, no one would mind.

But the second he opened the door he had to fight the biggest urge to close it again. He nearly gulped and the color drained from his face. Any other morning would have been fine, but it had to be this morning that they came in.

"H-hello." He practically squeaked out. He forced on a smile to the faces of Ino's parents. Ino's mother gave him a big smile and pulled the startled boy into a hug.

"Shikamaru! Good morning!" She chanted.

"Dear don't kill him. Ino wouldn't be too happy." Came the deep voice of Inoichi. Shikamaru looked up into the slightly less-than-normal stern face of his father's best friend. His stomach did flip flops and he felt like joining Ino in the bathroom. He was released from the hug and nearly fell to the floor from the lack of support. He looked at Inoichi again and quickly looked away. He just couldn't look him in the eye. Not at all.

"Where's my Ino?" The lovely blonde haired woman asked. Her blue eyes seemed to smile at Shikamaru as she awaited him to answer. Shakily Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head.

"She's uh…in the bedroom." He replied.

"Hmph, she better not be sleeping. I didn't raise my daughter to sleep in. I'll wake her if I have to." The woman said and marched off for the bedroom door.

"No…" Shikamaru had no time to stop her. She opened the door and stepped in. He was waiting to hear a horrified scream of concern, but none came. Inoichi strode past him and into the room. He could definitely hear voices. One sounded like the stern voice of Ino's mother and the other was…Ino…talking back to her.

"I can sleep in as long as I want mom." Ino said in exasperation to her mother. The woman had just barged into her room.

"Well, it's not healthy to sleep in too long. I thought Shikamaru was the one who slept in. Your usually the one who drags him out of bed, isn't that what you've told me?" the older Yamanaka said. She sat on the edge of the bed where Ino was resting. Shikamaru came into the door way and found the family sitting on his bed. He felt almost out of place and didn't know whether to stay or leave.

"What brings you here so early anyways?" Ino asked in a quit tone of voice. Shikamaru noted the pale complexion of her skin and knew she still obviously wasn't feeling her best. Her sickness could last a long time.

"Well, it's been a bit since we've visited both of you," Inoichi started. He gave Shikamaru a hard look as if saying, _'I really came here to check on how you were taking care of my baby.' _"And your mother also wanted to invite you both over to dinner tonight."

Neither Ino nor Shikamaru said a word. At the moment the best thing to both of them had been avoiding their parents, but it was inevitable forever. They would have to see them face to face at some point and now seemed to be the time.

"Sounds good." Ino said for the both of them. She put on a strained smile and wanted nothing more than to hide under her blanket.

"Great. Come over tonight around six. I'll have everything all set. Shikamaru, you wouldn't mind if I invite your parents over would you?" Ino's mother asked nicely. Shikamaru could feel his eye begin to twitch.

"Of course not." He ground out nervously. Oh tonight would officially be the worst night of his life.

"Oh wonderful!" Ino's mom seemed to jump off the bed. "Now, your father and I must get going. We have some shopping to do!" she said in a sing-song voice. She leaned down and kissed Ino's forehead. "We'll see you tonight sweetie."

Inoichi stood up off the bed and kissed his daughters cheek. "I'll see you later princess." He said. He saw his wife give Shikamaru one last hug and followed her out the door after giving Shikamaru one last stern look.

When the pair where gone, Shikamaru sighed and walked over to the bed and climbed in on his side. "I swear your dad is out to get me." He said.

Ino giggled very lightly. "Daddy's not out to get you." She said. Shika rolled his eyes.

"So what do we do?" he asked. Ino sighed in return and moved into his chest and sprawled herself out. She buried herself in the crook of his neck and felt content.

"What else can we do? We go of course." She said back.

**XxX**

Sakura woke up completely refreshed. She had gotten one of the best nights sleep and she felt better then she had for quite some time. But when she opened her eyes and didn't recognize the room right away, she felt her heart beat quicken and panic wash over her. She gasped and sat up, causing the person next to her to wake as well.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Sasuke roll over and face her. His eyes slowly slid open to a half way point and he sleepily looked at the girl who woke him.

"Didn't know where I was for a sec." she said and breathed out a sigh. He nodded sleepily then reached up for her.

"Just come back and sleep." He said and pulled her back down onto the bed. She was startled by both his words and actions, but never would she complain. His arm was slung over her stomach and he closed his eyes again. As far as Sasuke could remember, girls liked it when you held them when they slept.

"Saaaaasauke-kuuuuuun!"

The bedroom door was wrenched open and the unpleasant sight of Karin stood in the doorway. She hadn't known what to expect, but as far as she could tell Sasuke was sharing a bed with that evil wench. Both occupants in the bed groaned.

"It's morning! Time to get up and go out! It's just like when I had to wake you up when we were traveling together." She sounded to giddy it was almost unnatural of a person this early in the morning.

"Go away Karin." Sasuke grumbled through the comfort of his bed covers. Sasuke's grip on Sakura tightened as he pulled her closer to him. He rested his head on her shoulder and rolled his eyes while shaking his head in a manor so she could see him do it. Sakura smiled and covered her mouth to prevent a fit of giggles.

Suddenly the bed covers were thrown away as a seething Karin stood above both of them, teeth clenched and fire in her eyes. She growled out loud. "What the hell." She said as calmly as she could. Really, what would anyone think when they saw their love in a bed with another girl and both of them were half naked?

"Uchiha Sasuke! You…you!" she couldn't find any words to say. Sasuke was glaring daggers at Karin and Sakura was screaming in triumph (silently of course). Ah nothing could get better than this very moment.

"Karin. I really think you should get out. We'll be downstairs in a bit." Sasuke said darkly. Karin gave one menacing look at Sakura before she dropped the blanket and backed away.

"Oh I'll get you" She said harshly. Karin stuck her nose in the air and turned, storming to the door. She opened it and slammed it shut.

Sasuke rubbed his face and sat up so he was sitting on the bed. Sakura was stifling laughs besides him. "That was the best wake up call ever." she said in an amused tone of voice. She then sat up and stretched to fully wake herself. "Mou, we have to go shopping this morning. Best do it before training. This morning's been so good I almost feel like paying for it."

"Then you can pay for it." Sasuke replied and stood up off the bed. He grabbed his shirt and began to pull it up over his head.

"Heh, I said almost."

**XxX**

Sasuke and Sakura returned to the Uchiha home, both with bags of food in hand. Before they went to the store, Sakura made sure they stopped by her home so she could check up on Shira. The kitten was no where to be seen when they entered, but the food dish was almost empty which was a good sign that she had come out to eat and drink.

Suigetsu was in the sitting room and Karin was snooping about the home. Juugo was still resting upstairs in Sasuke's room. His injuries were much better than they had been the day before when Sakura checked him that morning. He was awake at the time and slightly confused, barely remembering where he was. He thanked Sakura for her help like the kind man he was which caused the girl to really wonder what the man did that was so bad to have caused such bad injuries on himself as well as Suigetsu.

"I'll make some breakfast for them." Sakura said and she and Sasuke went into the kitchen. The room was cleared away, not having any rubbish lying around, but was unkempt and needed cleaning. "Although," she started as she looked around. "I'm not sure it's even safe to make something in here."

"We should clean it up some." Sasuke commented as he grimaced at the grimy exterior of his home. The whole house needed a good ceiling to floor scrubbing after not having anyone living in it for so long.

"Right."

After nearly an hour and multiple interruptions by Suigetsu (who said he couldn't help because he was still recovering from his injuries) and Karin (who was just peeping to make sure the two weren't doing anything) the kitchen was semi clean. It was good enough for Sakura to cook in, but it still had along ways till it would be perfectly clean. Sakura scrubbed the dishes she wanted to use twice and prepared the meal.

She first served to Suigetsu who thanked her with a cute smile and a wink. She found Karin who walked into the sitting room and dashed over to sit by Sasuke. She offered her the plate of food but Karin looked away and crossed her arms. "I'm not hungry." She said stubbornly but her stomach was there to argue its own case as it growled loudly at its owner's arrogance.

She brought another plate in for Juugo and was walking out of the room. Sasuke seemed to have been waiting for her since he was waiting just outside the door. She stooped short of bumping into him and looked up slightly startled.

"Oh, Sasuke. Did you need something?" she asked. He looked at her with a seemingly blank look and nodded.

"We're going out for breakfast. We have time before training starts." He said. Sakura gaped at him, questioning to herself if the person in front of her really was her boyfriend.

Whoa that sounded weird.

"Uh. Sure." She spoke slowly.

Sasuke sighed at her lack of response. It wasn't that big of a shock that he was taking her out somewhere…was it? "I'm new to this 'dating' thing. I'm just doing what I think I should be and don't girls like it when they're asked out?" he asked.

What a terrific sight this was. Sasuke admitting that he had 'dating' issues and was attempting to take everything nice and easy with her. She would have figured he would have asked her out yesterday, asked her to marry him at least by tonight, and attempt for her to have his baby tomorrow. That was in her mind. But hearing him saying all of this...it was nice. In an extremely weird way.

"So you're actually trying to be a good boyfriend and take me out?" she asked to make sure that this whole thing was truly happening. He nodded. "Would you be like this with any other girl you could have asked out?"

"Hn." That was not really the answer she wanted. But she wouldn't waste this moment. Even if he was just trying to shall we say, butter her up, it was a miracle this was happening at all. Why not take the opportunity. She was his girlfriend. And she could rub it in that Karin girl's face. Ha ha.

**XxX**

Tenten secured the weapon pouch on her hip and checked its capacity. It was nearly full with shining silver weaponry and completely organized. "Are you going to training this morning?" She asked Hinata who was sitting on her couch with a steaming cup of tea. The heiress looked up, but didn't answer right away.

"Uh…I guess I should. There's no reason I shouldn't go see my team. I just don't want anyone from my family to find me there. I think if I hurry along and keep myself well hidden I'll be alright." She said. It sounded like a semi-safe plan. Although nothing was truly safe and there were no guarantees that she wouldn't be found.

"Alright. I'll see you around this afternoon then. Be safe ok. Stay hidden and keep your chakra masked." Tenten said in a motherly tone. It sounded as if she were directing the girl in ninja studies or something. With those final words, she opened her door and ran off for her own morning training.

It almost seemed like a broken movie cassette that kept replaying the same scene in a movie over and over again when she went to training. This morning was no different. Lee was practicing his kicks against the large wooden log, Gai was doing pinky finger push ups, and Neji was sitting up against the same old large oak tree mediating before he went off to practice.

She smiled upon her entrance and added in a loud "Good morning!" to earn the attention of her beloved teammates.

"Tenten! Our youthful young blossoming flower! How are you on a fine beautiful morning such as this?" Gai said sharply. He grinned his signature grin from his place on earthy ground.

Lee never turned to face her but spoke. "Good morning…Tenten. 378…379…380…" He continued his kicks with sheer determination.

The girl walked over to the large oak tree and looked down at Neji. As the morning sun was blocked from his view, he noticed there was someone in his presence. He opened his eyes and looked up at his female teammate. Tenten smiled cutely back at him.

"What?" he spat, sounding harsher than he meant. Tenten's smile faded as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"I just came to say good morning jeez. What's with the attitude?" she questioned. A thought floated into her mind wondering if his sudden behavior was from Hinata's disappearance.

"It's none of your concern." He retorted and stood up from his spot. Tenten placed her hands on her hip and scoffed. None of her business…that's funny. Why did he have to be such an ass and keep every little thing to himself? He couldn't share one little fact about himself if he tried.

"Oh you can tell me. You know, you can tell me anything." she said. All she ever wanted was him to trust her. Well, alright she wanted him to confess undying love to her, but some things in this like were unattainable.

He didn't reply to her words but simply walked by and said, "I'm going to train."

Tenten watched him leave in confusion. His problems obviously went further than Hinata missing. Or so that's what it seemed. She made a mental note to try and pry some information out of him later and turned off to do some of her own training.

**XxX**

Sakura sipped at her miso soup and continued to give Sasuke a curious look. She was still confused as to why he took her out to breakfast, and even if she told herself to shut up and accept it, it was hard to. It seemed that there would be some kind of catch…just something. They hadn't spoken on conversational terms since being in the nice café, and Sasuke picked at his rice more than he ate it.

The man looked up to see the look Sakura was giving him. "What?" he asked for the third time that morning since they had sat down to eat. Sakura continued her charade for a moment later before sighing and straightening up in her chair. She took a drink from her tea cup before speaking.

"It's just weird of you. I mean…it's you. You're Sasuke. You aren't exactly this, oh how should I say, nice? And I'm not sure you want anything out of me. I really don't have anything I can give you. Anything you want at least." She added in.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and set his chopsticks down. "Why can't you accept that I'm just taking you out? Shouldn't you be happy?" he asked, now getting annoyed.

"Well I want to know what your intentions behind this are!" she whispered harshly and glared at the raven haired man. Sasuke glared back.

"Why would I have secret intentions? What could I possibly be doing wrong by taking my girlfriend out?" he asked her. Many heads in the cafe were turning but the pair ignored them all.

"Just spill it! You don't have to hide anything from me!" she said. Her eyes narrowed more as her fist clenched the spoon.

"Hn."

"Is that all you can say? Going silent pretty boy? Well I'll have you know that I will find out what you are really planning on doing after his!" she said. Her temper was rising for some reason. She did have the tendency to lose control sometimes and since he wasn't saying anything to her, she was getting fed up with him already.

"Do you have any crazy ideas in that messed up head of yours?" he asked. He knew he shouldn't have answered to her, but he couldn't stop himself surprisingly. Sasuke knew she could burst at any moment and he should be handling this delicately.

"Hm, maybe! Like you're trying to get into my pants just so I can have the heir to your clan! That would benefit you, not so much me since you wouldn't even care what happens to me after all of that!" Sakura nearly shouted. At t his point everyone was looking at the two. Sakura had stood up from her seat in her fit of rage.

Sasuke's fist came down in contact with the small table causing the dishes to rattle. "That's absurd Sakura!" he shouted back, not caring about how they were giving everyone a show. Man asking this girl out seemed to be a mistake.

It was the wrong moment, but the cute young waitress that was serving them walked over the table. She was no older than the couple and Sakura grimaced as she approached them. The girl slung her brunette hair over her shoulder and smiled sweetly at Sasuke. She had been flirting, or at least attempting to, with Sasuke since they had arrived and Sakura was about to rip her apart.

"Sounds like you two have some problems to work out." She said. She extracted a piece of paper from her small notebook and ripped it out, placing it in front of Sasuke. She smiled seductively and her hand brushed over his arm before she turned away.

Sakura's knuckles were turning white because she was gripping the tabletop so hard. Her teeth were clenched as she was mad as hell.

"My God…" Sasuke looked down at the bill and saw more numbers than normal. The price of the food was there, along with a bonus. The waitress's phone number.

Oh that was the last straw on her bad morning. When Sakura saw the number, something seemed to snap inside of her. She took hold of the paper and marched up to the cash register where the waitress was standing looking over something Sakura couldn't see.

"You." Sakura growled. The brunette haired girl looked up and scowled.

"What?" she barked back.

"You really are a pathetic girl! Honestly, who goes around trying to take other girls boyfriends?" Sakura said wickedly. Sasuke followed up behind Sakura and tugged at her arm attempting to avoid another scene. "Do me a favor! Get a fricken life, then get yourself your own man!" Sakura yelled after her as Sasuke dragged her away and out of the café.

The pair where on the street and Sakura tugged her arm out of Sasuke' grasp. Her breathing was erratic and she willed herself to calm down. She had just made the biggest fool of herself.

Yelling felt good, but it wouldn't have hurt to do it somewhere other than a public place. And she was accusing someone based on assumptions of his attitude in the past. The thought made her stop and think if she had really gotten to know the Sasuke walking beside her now. Was he really the same cold hearted twelve year old? Or had he changed? Even in the slightest bit? And if he had…why hadn't she noticed?

She brought her arms up and cupped her elbows in each of her hands while frowning at the path ahead of her. Sasuke's face was stoic once again and if you looked at him, you would have never thought he was just bitched at. He always remained cool.

So why was she so determined to prove he was trying to hurt her in some way?

Possibly the fact that he had basically done almost nothing but hurt her in some way. He had tried to kill her when they were fifteen. She remembered that. And there wasn't any proof that he had changed since then. What if he was trying to use her as a tool? Just a baby machine and nothing more? He was just trying to cover the fact up with fake affection, and Sakura then realized that she wasn't fooled by it.

But hadn't he said he wanted to marry before he restored his clan? So he was either attempting to get her to truly fall in love with him again so that she would say yes if he did indeed choose to ask her, or he was being absolutely abnormal and taking the role as a 'nice' boyfriend.

'_Choice number one is the winner.' _Sakura thought.

Maybe she should go along with it for a while? Just play her role as the loving girlfriend? She could enjoy her life's dream for some time at least, and in the mean time find a plan to change his. Plus there was that ever so tiny chance that he may fall for her. Yes that sounded good. She would just go along with everything.

"I'm sorry."

Sasuke looked down at Sakura who had her head bowled slightly. He never responded and kept at a steady pace as they walked to the usual meeting spot for training.

"I'm just stupid at times. I don't mean to be, and I think these crazy things…so yeah. Sorry for what I did and the trouble I caused." She apologized. She gazed up at him with wide, sorry green eyes.

For the rest of the trip the two didn't exchange words. They walked in silence until they reached the meeting spot to find Naruto and Sai already waiting for everyone else. Naruto smiled to the both of them and Sai gave a nod of greeting.

And let the waiting commence.

The first ten minutes passed by in almost silence aside from Sakura and Naruto small conversation pieces. Then a game of rock, paper, scissors broke out between the pair. After a couple of rounds they suggested that the other two join, but Sasuke flat out refused. Sai was willing and after being instructed on how the game worked he joined in.

"Rock, paper, scissor, shoot!" Naruto had paper, Sakura had paper, and Sai had scissors.

"Dude that's the fifth time in a row! How do you keep winning?" Naruto asked in complete shock.

"Yeah, I just pick whichever. You just suck." Sai replied in an abased tone. Naruto sneered when there was a puff of smoke and the leader of the group had finally appeared.

"Late as always." Sakura said.

"Yeah, well I actually have a reason." He replied. With one look the group gave Kakashi a funny look. He held a book under his arm. That wasn't necessarily why they were weirded out; it was the fact that the book was not part of the Icha Icha novel collection.

"What's with the book Kakashi?" Naruto pointed out as he looked at the thing curiously.

"This? Yes, it's the reason I was late. I'll explain later. Let's head into the training grounds." He said and moved forward. The others followed wanting to know where their ex-teacher had gone to.

They stopped in the middle of the clearing. They circled around the mask wearing man who looked on cheerfully. He seemed awfully pleased for some reason. Possibly the fact that they were all getting along better than they were before.

"Sakura, this is for you." Kakashi said as he handed the book off to the girl. She should have known. Books became her life after she became a medic and adding this one didn't really change anything. "Tsunade-sama called me in this morning and asked me to give it to you. Oh, I believe the page number was 254. There's a technique she wants you to look over and start to practice today. She wants you to try on your own before she begins to teach it to you herself. She asked me to let you do it by yourself, but if you need my help don't be afraid to ask."

"What kind of technique is it?" Sakura asked. She didn't know if it would be a medical technique or not. Tsunade never really took the time to teach her ninjutsu, so if it was something special it would be a first.

"I honestly don't know. You should get started though." He said. She nodded and dashed off to find a quiet place to train. The boys watched her go. "As for you three." Kakashi said. "I think we should," oh no, those dreaded words. "Spar."

Two hours into training, Kakashi called off his spar with Sasuke to allow him his own personal training space and left to check on Sai and Naruto's progress.

"KAKASHI!"

Said man cringed so slightly it was barely noticeable when he heard the loud scream for him. The cry came from their female teammate and he directed his walking path to the sound location. He guessed from where it came from, and it sounded as though she was down by the river bed. He walked there casually, not in any rush. He knew she wasn't hurt in anyway. She yelled in a whining tone of voice, so he knew she just needed help with her technique that she was getting terribly frustrated with.

He saw her by the river concentrating hard as she performed the hand seals. Her face scrunched up with determination, but nothing happened.

"It won't work. Nothing's happening!" she complained.

Kakashi sighed. Did she not understand that you can't get every jutsu on the first try? "What is it that Tsunade-sama is having you learn?" he questioned before pressing her further.

Sakura pointed down at the open book in front of her. "Chakra shield. Really it's not too much of a jutsu as much as a defense. I don't understand why she wants me to learn it. It's really difficult and I know only a handful of ninja can do it."

Kakashi bent down in front of the book and studied the text briefly. It gave a description of the technique, when it could be used, how to mold the right amount of chakra, which hand seals to use, how to expel the chakra, how to maintain the forcefeild, and much more. For Sakura, this should not have been as difficult as she was making it sound for herself. No, he wouldn't expect her to know it by now or to have a complete shield up. But for a shinobi of her level, she should have been able to have some sort of weak, protective boundary up after two hours of practice.

"Do it again. Let me see what you're doing." He said. Kakashi reached up and pulled his hitai ate up revealing his sharingan. He stood with his arms crossed as he watched her perform the seals. Her chakra levels raised an equal amount and dispersed through her body, rushing to her chakra points. It was then that Kakashi witnessed her levels of chakra become slightly erratic. Something was off. The levels were becoming off balanced and uneven. It wasn't like Sakura to lose control of her chakra so easily. He scanned over her body and chakra systems.

And it felt like his heart stopped.

There was a slightly different system of chakra in her. It was fairly weak, and a much more delicate shade of blue than Sakura's normal chakra. He had seen this only a handful of times in women, but he never thought he'd see it in Sakura.

The older jounin pulled his hitai ate back down and turned his back to the kunoichi. Sakura stopped what she was doing and looked up. "Kakashi? Is there something wrong?"

"I'm going to find the guys. You stay here. Don't overdo yourself alright. I'll be back."

With those final words, Kakashi took to the trees, leaving a confused Sakura behind.

**XxX**

She was thankful when training was over. After practicing taijustsu alone (having to flat out refuse to train with Lee twice) she jogged over to Neji who had begun to walk on the pathway towards the village. She fell in step with him and caught her breath before she spoke.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out and have lunch with me?" she asked nicely. Really she wanted to know if the Hinata thing was what was really bugging the cold boy, but she also would love being out with him for the afternoon. It would be nice to spend time alone with Neji. Even if it would be silent, she would be with him!

"No." he said flatly.

Gaping Tenten hollered, "What the hell? Why not? It's not like you have important things to do." She said, hoping her words would pry something out of him. She knew which buttons to push with Neji and which not to even consider. But she also knew Neji would never hurt her, physically at least. Emotionally possibly, but not on purpose.

"I already told you it's none of your concern." He said, not liking having to repeat himself. Tenten kicked at a rock on the dirt road as she forged another plan.

"Fine. I'll just go ask Hinata." She said as normally as she could. Neji didn't say anything right away. They just walked along the path quietly. Tenten waited for him to say something.

"If you really must know, Lady Hinata ran away last night." Neji said. He would just say it if it would get her to stop bugging him about it. He hated it when people constantly bugged him about one subject that he didn't want anything to do with. "I can't say I'm particularly happy with her decision seeing as I have been put on search duty. I don't know where she is, but I am sure it's better than the Hyuuga home at this point. She would have been broken if she stayed their. That is the only reason I'm glad she left. Hiashi-sama was speaking of marrying her off quickly so she would have no chance of ever being with Naruto."

Tenten already knew of all of this. So Neji was pissed at Hiashi for what he was doing and because he was put on search duty. She wanted to tell him right then and there where Hinata was.

"Neji, Hinata…" She stopped herself right there. She couldn't tell him. If she told Neji, then he knew the secret. If he knew the secret, and the family found out he was hiding something there was no telling what they would do to him. He was only part of the branch family. They wouldn't care what happened to him.

"Yes?" Neji asked. Tenten shook her head.

"Nothing. It's nothing at all." She covered lamely. She couldn't let him know Hinata was staying with her. "I have to go Neji. I'll see you tomorrow." She said before dashing away.

**XxX**

Sakura sat up against the a blossoming Sakura tree as she rested. She felt totally wiped out and exhausted. It was weird for her. She could usually do a lot more work than she did today, more productive work at that, and feel way better than this. She was breathing hard, and she had forced herself to sit when she felt her knees grow weak. Who knew a chakra shield technique was so hard?

Jumping down from a tree not far away, Kakashi slowly walked over to her. When he stood before her, Sakura looked up and met his look. He looked almost angry.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked. Kakashi shook his head and attempted to figure out what he was going to say to her. The best way was to just come out with it and question her about everything. She would most likely answer honestly, especially since they were alone. Kakashi knew he was the one person she would openly talk to about almost anything. All of the girl matters were handled by Ino. He was just the father in Sakura's life for her to go to. And he proudly took that role since her parent's tragedy.

"No you didn't do anything wrong. Well, yes in a way you did." He said. Telling her straight seemed easier said than done.

"What? Is it the technique? Were my chakra patterns off? Tell me! I want to get this right!" she said in desperation. She tugged at his arm like a three year old and pouted cutely. Kakashi chuckled. She made him want to get up, walk away, and hope this was all some kind of dream.

"No it's not like." He started. Thinking on how to start, he waited for a moment before he spoke again. "Sakura, how have you been feeling?" he asked.

"Me?" Sakura asked stupidly. "Fine. I've been feeling fine. Uh, are you feeling ok Kakashi?" She asked giggling. Kakashi's face was stern at the moment and she noticed that he wasn't joking. She frowned and began to nervously pick at the grass in front of her.

"I don't mean it like that. I mean, have you felt alright in the mornings? Have you been physically sick? Have you had any irregular eating patterns? Discomfort? Things like that." He asked. Sakura stopped pulling up the blades of vegetation and looked up at Kakashi, her brows furrowed.

The medic giggled nervously. "Sounds like you're describing Ino's mornings. And she's pregnant." She said with a snort. Her short laughter died away when she heard nothing from Kakashi's end. The man was busily looking up at the sky, watching the clouds rather than looking down at the girl. Kakashi didn't want to see her face. He didn't want to see the pain.

"I-I'm not…what are you talking about?" she asked uncomfortably. At the moment the man next to her was scaring her.

"So you didn't know you were going to have a baby?" he asked. His voice quivered as he asked the dreadful words. His face no longer held the angry exterior as that had melted away. He was concerned for the girl now. She had never known.

Sakura didn't respond. Her mouth hung open. Her throat seemed to close up, rendering her unable to speak. She inched away from Kakashi slowly. She didn't know what to do. He was lying. He was wrong. She couldn't be.

"I-I can't be. I haven't been sick or anything." she whispered out. This wasn't true. It was some stupid, mean, cruel, horrible joke.

"You're the medic. You should know that not every woman gets morning sickness when she's pregnant." Kakashi responded smartly. "I saw the baby's chakra. It's there."

She was unable to respond again. Her shaky legs brought her to her feet as she prepared herself to turn and run off. She grasped onto the tree for support. The white haired jounin made no move to stop her. But he did say something.

"Whose is it?" He asked.

Sakura froze in her preparations to depart. Kakashi watched the horror of realization spread across her face. She didn't answer.

"Tell me Sakura." He said commandingly. "I want to know who to go after for doing this to you. Who did it?" Sakura took another step back away from the shinobi. Kakashi was pissed off. She could tell by the mad look in his eye. She couldn't tell if he was mad at her or not. What would he do if got a hold of the father of her baby?

"Just tell me Sakura. Tell me it's Sasuke's."

Her heart jumped, and then stopped all together. Her stomach sank and she felt like she just died. How could he know? How could he tell?

Kakashi received no answer. The only thing he heard were the retreating foot steps as the little girl he had taken care of for so long fled from his side. He couldn't believe what was happening. He didn't know how it happened or why it happened. He thought Sakura had hated Sasuke. And he didn't think Sasuke had the capability of holding any kind of affection for someone. At the moment all Kakashi knew was that Sakura needed someone at her side. Someone to be there for her. But not now. Now she had to be alone and let the fact that in less than nine months she might be a mother sink in.

So he didn't chase after her.

**XxX**

"Oh man! No way!"

Ino forced her blue jeans up over her thighs and had them around her waist. She pulled them tight, but to her horror, the button barely made it through the small slit where it should have easily slid in. It was in, but it was threatening to pop off at any time.

"What?" Shikamaru turned around as he button up his deep green dress shirt. He noticed Ino's struggle and watched as she managed to button her jeans. But he could see that they were too small. Knowing how his girlfriend reacted to clothes issues, he put out a suggestion. "Why don't you wear your shirt?" he asked.

Ino unbuttoned her jeans and looked almost relived to have them loosened. "But I don't want to wear a skirt. Besides I never feel sexy in my dress skirts. I like my jeans better." She said stubbornly. Shikamaru sighed.

"I think you look sexy in your white skirt." He said. He sat back on their bed and closed his eyes. Really, everything about going tonight was troublesome. Ino was freaking out, he was too though he was good at hiding it. It was just so much to deal with. Especially since the pair had agreed that tonight would be the night they told their parents everything.

It was the perfect given opportunity. Both of their parents would be present and hopefully the whole setting would be nice and calm and non murderous. The situation honestly couldn't have been more perfect, unless you could strap both of the older men down and tape all of the adults mouths shut. But that just wasn't workable, so they had to go with the flow.

Ino had agreed to wear her white skirt. She also adorned a midnight blue off the shoulder blouse. Her hoop earrings had been changed to small diamond studs just to give her a more elegant look. It wasn't exactly the look she wanted for the night, but she would deal with it. Pregnant women were some of the most fickle people in the world.

When the couple arrived on the Yamanaka's doorstep, Ino knocked courteously before entering into her old home. "Mom. Daddy, we're here." She called out. She could smell the mixture of the dinner her mother was preparing along with the freshness of the newly cleaned house. It made her feel right at home.

"Hi baby." Inoichi said from his overly large chair in the living room. He set down his book and smiled at his daughter and her boyfriend.

"Hi Daddy. How are you?" Ino asked in a baby like voice as she kissed her fathers cheek. Her own plan was to butter her father up as much as she could. It might work, on her end at least. She didn't know what Shika could do and that's what scared her the most.

"I'm doing fine. Your mother's in the kitchen. Shikaku and Yoshino should be here in just a bit." He replied. Two nods were his reply. He and Ino picked up a small conversation and her mother Tsumi entered the room smiling brightly, all dressed up with her kitchen apron on.

"Do you need help with anything mama?" Ino asked sweetly.

"Oh, not now dear. Everything is all set." Tsumi answered.

There was a knock at the front door and the older Yamanaka woman walked off to answer it. There could be voiced heard as greetings were exchanged. Ino, who had been holding Shikamaru's hands from their place on the couch, squeezed it gently. He squeezed back.

The faces of Nara Shikaku and Yoshino appeared in the living room and Shikamaru stood up off the couch. "Mom. Dad." He sounded slightly off tone, but it went unnoticed as his mother strode forward. He didn't react to her coming forward to him.

"Aren't you going to give your mother a hug?" she asked questionably. Startled slightly, he nodded and hugged the shorter woman. "Really, you should come visit us sometime Shikamaru! Your father and I hardly see you!" she ranted on.

Shikamaru had a fighting urge to grab Ino and high tail it from the house and go back home.

"Give the boy a break Yoshino. I never wanted to go back and visit my parents when I first moved out either." Shikaku said with a chuckle. "It was such a troublesome thing, and work got in the way. You sound like my mother used to."

Yoshino raised an eyebrow at her husband. Shikaku noticed the look and smiled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah, Inoichi what's been up with you." He covered and went to his best friend to get away from his wife. The woman could be terribly intimidating when she wanted to be.

"Dinner's ready!" Tsumi said and ushered the group into the kitchen.

The meal passed by with common conversation. Mostly it involved Ino and Shikamaru being asked question after question. How things were going for them. How they were holding up. Did they need anything. How their jobs were suiting them. All the basic, 'what parents want to know' questions.

"So how's your relationship going?" Tsumi asked.

Ino nearly inhaled her piece of fish, and Shikamaru, who was taking a drink, splashed water down his front. He reached for his napkin and cleaned himself up.

"Fine, fine mom. Everything is great." Ino said.

"Hm. Well by the tone of your voice it doesn't sound like it. Are there any problems?" The woman pushed. It now showed that Ino took after her mother. Both women were keen on prying into the lives of others and getting the raw facts of everything.

"Really mom." Ino said. She looked over at Shikamaru who glared down into his half finished dish of food. It seemed like now was the right time to tell them.

"Dear, it's not nice to pry into others personal lives." Inoichi said.

"Yeah, their business is theirs." Yoshino agreed. Shikaku grunted his approval of his wife's decision, knowing to never go against her.

"Oh, I just want to help if there is a problem. I'm not trying to interfere with anything." She looked up to see Ino whisper something to Shikamaru, who nodded in return. Her blue eyes clouded with curiosity.

"Actually, Ino started. She gulped down her fears and tried to settle the panic feeling she was getting. "Shikamaru and I did want to tell you all something." Shikamaru refused to look at any of them and could feel his mother's harsh glare. Oh someone just take him away, pin him to a wall and stab him repeatedly now. He was going to die here anyways.

Four sets of eyes looked on as they waited patiently. Ino didn't have a way around the situation. She couldn't find a curvy path through this. It was just a straight crash course that had to be taken. But she knew she would make it. Shikamaru was with her, and he would always be with her.

"Yeah, so…we…Shikamaru and I…" She gulped once more. "We're going to have a baby." She said quietly. She sank down a little and waited for the worst.

The room was dead silent.

Then there was a 'crunch' as Inoichi's hand clenched the chopsticks so hard they snapped altogether. As did his sanity for the moment. "You did what to my little girl?" He shouted angrily.

"Ino? Is this true?" Tsumi asked, attempting to understand if what her daughter had just said was right or not. Ino nodded fearfully.

"Nara Shikamaru! I can't believe you would be so careless!" Yoshino shouted. She had a surprised look on her face. She always thought her son was smart, but then he went and did something like this. Now he was going to be a father.

"But you two are so young!" Tsumi said in disbelief. She was all too shocked that this was happening.

"This obviously wasn't planned right?" Yoshino asked.

"No!" Ino said, her voice shaking. Her eyes were wide and she had a horrible feeling at the moment. "No it was an accident! We never mean to let this happen!"

Shikamaru was too busy staring in Inoichi's direction to listen to his mother and Ino's mother's furious ranting. All of those sounds were blocked out. He faintly heard Inoichi shouting something and he saw the man's lips move. At the moment, he was just wishing that there wasn't a knife sitting so close to Inoichi's hand. There were more shouts, and he wasn't at all surprised that his father didn't say anything. The one person he was least worried about finding out was his own father. Sure Shikaku would think this was troublesome, but heh…that would be about it.

Shikamaru was then pulled from his thoughts as he heard the one sound that could do that. Beside him Ino let out a sob as she buried her face in her hands. Shikamaru hated the sound. It indicated that Ino was upset and he hated seeing Ino upset. So he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she sank down into her chair and cried.

"I-I'm sorry." She sobbed.

"It's fine Ino. Everything will be alright." Shikamaru assured her. The yells of the others had ceased.

"N-no it won't! T-they all hate u-us now! W-we'll be disowned!" The girl attempted to wipe the tears away, but they wouldn't stop. "It was j-just an accident. N-nothing was supposed to happen f-from it. Now l-look what's happening. O-our parents hate us." She choked out. She leaned into Shikamaru's embrace.

"We don't hate you Ino." Tsumi assured her daughter. No, they didn't hate them. This kind of thing happed at times. "We're just a bit disappointed. We just wish you would have used better judgment."

Ino nodded but for some reason she didn't feel better. Inoichi still had his eyes narrowed at the pair. "Shikamaru, I think you should take Ino home. We'll talk to you two some other time." He said in a deep voice. He wasn't pleased at all.

"But Daddy!"

"No Ino. Go home. We'll talk later." He said sternly. Ino fell back and complied with his demand.

So Ino and Shikamaru stood from the table. They both thanked Ino's parents for having them over and bid everyone a goodnight.

Outside on the dark, empty street Ino stopped in the middle and looked down to the ground. "I think they hate us." She said quietly. Shikamaru stopped and looked back. He sighed and walked over to the girl. Lifting her chin between his fingers, he forced her to look him in the eye.

"They don't hate us." He reminded her. "They said that. Try not to think about tonight too much. They just have to cool down and let the fact sink in." he said. Ino wasn't totally reassured by his words. She leaned up into him and kissed his lips.

"You sure?" she asked as they broke apart. He nodded and let his hand drop down to hers, taking a hold of it.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hm?"

"Promise you'll never leave me." Ino said as they began to walk back to their home.

Looking forward, Shikamaru spotted the first star of the night sky. "I promise." He said.

He didn't care if he wasn't the affectionate guy. He wasn't the type of boyfriend to do many romantic things, or hold his girlfriends hand in public a lot. But he was caring and he was there when he was needed. And even if he said that everything was troublesome, he would live through it all if it was for the one he loved. So if Ino needed some reassurance that he would always be there for her, he would do anything he could to make sure she got it.

"Hey Shika-kun. It's the first star of the night. Did you wish for something?" the blue eyed girl asked. She swung their entwined hands back and forth gently.

Truthfully, Shikamaru knew he didn't need to make a wish because Ino was everything he could ever wish for. "Hn, wishing is just too troublesome."

_**EXPLINATION! PLEASE READ!!!ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE CONFUSED!**_

**How should I say this. I'm an extremely fickle person. I change a lot (hence the pen name). A chameleon changes a lot too right? Plus I love chameleons. But that's not the point. **

**The whole thing with Sakura. Let's just say I like making everything really confusing. She and Sasuke only did it that one time. So she obviously had to conceive that one time. Now, at this point, that was two months ago. So technically Sakura is two months along in her pregnancy. I know I said before that she wasn't pregnant, and I was planning on having her not be, but I kind changed my mind. I didn't mean to, and I hate myself for doing it, but it makes writing this a hell of a lot easier on me. **

**Anyways, so Sakura is two months along yada yada. Now, remember back when she passed out during training. I said it was from sickness, but I guess it was from pregnancy. She worked to hard, used to much energy. You get the idea. Since then there haven't been any signs that she's been pregnant. **

**For those who don't know, the case with a lot of woman is that they don't know that they are pregnant until two to three months after they conceive. And it is true that not all pregnant women get morning sickness! My mom never got it with me or my brother (only my sister). So yeah, it is possible. It varies a lot. You can never be sure and every pregnancy is different. Please understand and don't be upset with my decision. Or my future decisions. **

**Just please don't shoot me! –Ducks and covers behind Sasuke- Blame him!**


	24. A new mission

**I'm going through a tough time right now. My great uncle is dying at the moment. The doctors are giving him any time between a matter of hours to a matter of days. I've lost family members before, and I just wish it would stop. I'm tired of going to funerals. **

**Um…like I said. Really don't kill/hate me for what I have planned in the near future. Remember…you kill me; you don't get the rest of the story with the happy ending. Oh and the bad things will happen in a chapter or two. **

**Disclaimer: Honestly, if I owned Naruto I would have Sasuke sing everything he said and have Kakashi dance around him in a tutu. Plus all of the guys would be forced to walk around with no shirts on. ;) **

She didn't know why she was crying so intensely. It was probably the shock that got her, but there she was, fallen before the memorial stone in a fit of tears and sobs. She shook harshly as she let out her sudden frustration she felt. She couldn't believe what was happening. She couldn't believe she never knew about this.

But it true.

Kakashi saw it with his own eye, and he would never lie to her about something like this. His face had said it all and he looked dead serious. Her stomach jumped when she also remembered the look of disappointment upon his face. She might not have been able to see the frown, but from his own eye, she could see everything he was thinking, everything he was feeling. And he was disappointed with her. His own little girl.

She couldn't blame him. She was stupid for letting it happen. It wasn't supposed to happen. But it did and now she held the next Uchiha heir inside on her. What would Sasuke think?

The thought scared her to death and she cried harder. What would he do? Sure they were going out. And sure he was the one to initiate the relationship but she knew he didn't love her. Hell, she wasn't even sure if he liked her. She could only hope that he cared enough for her and that he would accept the baby.

But…she didn't want to tell him just yet. If she did, she wouldn't feel right. She almost felt guilty. Like she had this burden and if she told him, it would be like placing the whole burden on Sasuke as well. She didn't want to bind him to her. She didn't want him to feel obligated to be with her because of this one child. She wanted to give it a bit of time and know that their relationship would be going forward and not backwards. She would never bring her baby into a life of a bad relationship between its parents. She wanted her child to come into this world with nothing but love surrounding it. Not her and Sasuke arguing all the time. It wouldn't be fair to any of them. But then again she would tell him soon, only because he was the father and he had the right to know. Sakura would never keep the fact from him for too long. It wouldn't be right in any way.

Looking up at the memorial stone, Sakura's eyes darted to two familiar names. Her parents. She felt horrible. Like she was the worst child ever. She had never been the most favorable child any parent could ever want. But most of the time she had tried hard to be the best she could be. Sure she disagreed with her parents plenty of times and she argued with them as well, but what child didn't? She loved them both with all of her heart and she could have only hoped that she could have done something to prevent everything from happening. To them and to herself.

"I'm sorry." She whispered softly. She was sorry about everything. She was exhausted. She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to be in a place were she could have peace. This world was working so hard to cut her down. To thrown her in the mud and prevent her from getting back up. She had to work harder than almost anyone in this life. She was supporting herself since she was young. She didn't know how Naruto had survived up until now. It was so hard having no one to support you.

Sure she had Kakashi, but he had his own expenses and she refused to let him pay for anything. If it was for something very small she might have let him get away with it, but otherwise she could smack his hand if he reached for his wallet. She had to remain strong and support herself. She wanted to keep herself up above water. And she managed to. Barely, but she made it.

"I'm so sorry. Mom. Dad. I love you both. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." She went on. "I only wish you were here. I really could use your help. I…I don't know what to do."

A small bird fluttered over to her side and landed down by her. She looked up from her sprawled out position and gazed at it with tear drenched eyes. It wasn't an ordinary bird. It was familiar. The bird was made of ink. She could tell. It cocked its head and hopped in front of her.

Sakura sat up and looked down at the ink bird. It was made up of delicate strokes and precise techniques that it could only belong to one person. The bird looked at her before melting down into the stone platform they were on, forming words. Her eyes scanned over them, her mouth agape slightly.

'_Why are you crying?' _the message read. She had never known the boy to be caring in any way. Where was he anyways? She couldn't even sense his chakra. And how long had he been around?

Her sharp hearing picked up on footsteps behind her and she turned around quickly. Sai looked down at her with the same blank face that she was so used to seeing. For so long she had wondered what it would be like to see some sort of emotion flicker across his features.

"What wrong?" he asked in a monotone voice. It made him sound so unconcerned. But Sakura knew better. If he didn't actually care, he wouldn't be here asking her of her problems. Sai usually wasn't one to tamper with people's personal lives so she couldn't honestly answer why he was here now, attempting to talk to her.

Pulling her legs to her chest, she wrapped herself in the fetal position. "It's nothing Sai." She mumbled miserably. The artist sat beside her and studied the stone that they were both facing. He looked over the names. Some he recognized, some he didn't. He noticed his brother's name.

"Fine. I'm simply offering someone to tell your feelings to. If you want to refuse that's your choice." He replied and opened his sketch book.

Sakura never said anything for a few minutes, but her curiosity got the better of her. "What are you doing here?" she asked so quietly it was nearly inaudible.

"Could you repeat that Hag? I can't really understand depressed people." Sai said without looking up from his sketch. He had already finished the drawing and was simply adding some appropriate shading to give it a better look.

Sakura didn't repeat herself. Sai should never be allowed to speak at some times. He wasn't helping her and she was not going to tell him of her crisis. Although she knew he wouldn't go and blab to anyone. She still didn't feel comfortable telling him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again with a bite to her words. She was feeling terribly frustrated and she wasn't in the mood for his cruel words. Smiling his fake smile, Sai flipped the sketch book over so she would be able to see. She glanced at it to see that he had drawn a picture of her. Her collapsed, weak, crying, pathetic. She looked away frowning more if possible.

She was still weak after all. No matter what she has to go through, she always ended up crying her eyes out. She had to stop. She had to pick herself up and control herself. But at the moment, she really wanted to be left alone. For the moment, she wanted to wallow in self pity. Something she hadn't done for a bit.

"Really," Sai started as he continued his drawing. He started to add in background. "What is wrong?"

Taking a breath, Sakura stroked her arms mindlessly. "I'm just having a bit of a problem. Everything will be fine. And I guess I'm crying over my parents as well." She said gently. She rested her head on her own shoulder and closed her eyes to a half way point.

Sai listened as she continued. "I wish I could have been a better child for them. Made things easier instead of being the brat that took advantage of everything they gave me. I really did take them for granted and I feel horrible."

As she trailed off the only thing heard then was the scratching of Sai's pencil. She looked over at the drawing and forced herself to observe it. He was truly amazing with his artwork. The overlook of the drawing looked nearly perfect. There was so much detail and the shading looked incredible.

"Don't think about that."

Startled, Sakura turned her attention to the raven haired man instead and waited for more words. "Your thinking too much about what you could have been. Think about the good times with your parents. And also, what you are to them now. They aren't with you in body, but they are in spirit. Be the daughter you wanted to be for them right now." he said.

She was too shocked to say anything. Did Sai say something…intelligent and logical? Something that made sense and had a good meaning to it? Who was this boy?

"I think my whole team is out of whack." She said.

"Hm?

"Nothing. Thanks Sai. I just…no offense, but I really need to be alone right now if you don't mind." She said and stood up off the ground. Dusting off her shorts and skirt, she gave him one last goodbye before taking off for her home.

She was relieved to arrive home yet wished she didn't have to walk through the door all the same. Hoping everything would be fine she pushed the front door open and entered her home.

The first thing she heard was the TV. The evening news was playing as she noticed Sasuke and Naruto both sitting on each end of the couch. Both of their heads turned to her as she walked in briskly and hoped to make a break for her room before either of them stop her. She knew she must look horrible after crying for long and hopefully neither of them would notice.

Sakura walked behind the couch, but didn't rush. If she did they might notice something. "Sakura-chan? Are you alright?" Naruto asked as she looked at her with confusion. Damn. Naruto always seemed to notice the changes in her.

"F-fine." She choked out.

"Your eyes are puffy. And red." He commented and stood up. "What happened? Did something happen to you?" he asked quickly. Sakura shook her head.

"Nothing happened. Just…just…training. It's hard you know." She covered. Smiling she tried to make a break for it but Naruto caught her arm.

"Sakura-chan it's not from training. You've been crying. I can tell." The blonde was very observant when it came to her or Hinata. He noticed everything and had grown very good at telling if she had been crying. She pulled her arm away.

"No. Just…I'm fine Naruto. There's no need to worry!" she said, her voice rising. Sakura knew it wasn't a good enough excuse to convince him though.

"Just tell me Sakura-chan so I can help you!" he said desperately. Sasuke watched, not wanting to get involved. He knew that if Sakura wanted them to know so badly she would tell them. He would do some of his own prying later, but for now he would stay out of it.

"Naruto I said it was nothing!" Sakura was now shouting. Naruto stepped back slightly stunned. He didn't think he'd pushed her this far. He was only concerned and wanted to help, not hurt her further. There was a problem and he hated being left out of things, especially when it involved one of his friends being hurt.

"I was only trying to…" he trailed off not knowing what to say. He backed away a bit more to give her space.

"Naruto, you can go." Sakura said quietly. She wasn't in the mood for her friend's constant interrogation. Right now she wanted to go to sleep, even if it was a little earlier than normal.

"Right." He looked down at the floor, then back up at her. "Call me if you need anything right?" he sounded almost heartbroken. Sakura suddenly felt increasingly sorry and there was a huge pang in her heart. Naruto smiled though, however fake it may be and waved.

"Then I'll see you around. See ya Teme."

The door shut behind Naruto and Sakura felt full force of guilt. He was only trying to help and she shoved him away. It was the first time she had really pushed him away and yelled at him for trying to comfort her. She felt horrible. She hated herself for it. Looking over at the couch, she noticed Sasuke's look and quickly bowed her head. He even looked disapproving of her actions. For what though? Him show that sort of look? He had no right to in the first place.

"I'm going to bed." She said and dragged her feet as she left the room. She just wanted to sleep. Trying that technique all day really had wiped her out.

She opened the door and watched as Shira bounced around playfully with her catnip mouse. But the instant she noticed her owner, she backed away and scurried for her hiding place. Sakura sighed. She knew it would take awhile for the kitten to get used to her, but it's been nearly two weeks and there was no sign of productivity. Sakura had sat in her room periods at a time before, trying to oust the kitten out and to get it to like her. She would just have to keep trying.

After she was changed, Sakura had been in bed for no more than half an hour. She couldn't sleep no matter how desperate her body ached for it. She tried to will herself to forget about everything that was happening and rest.

The door opened and Sasuke entered. She moved her head slightly and rolled over onto her back signaling she was still awake.

"I'm still entitled to sleep in here when you're grumpy right?" he asked her. Sasuke opened the closet door where Sakura had allowed him to store his things and pulled out his night clothes. He changed right behind the door and stored his things away.

Sasuke climbed in the other side of the bed and lay down. He was facing Sakura who was staring up at the ceiling. "Mind telling me what happened?"

"Why should I tell you?" she asked incredulously. Was he showing concern now? Because she didn't want his pity or his little game of acting. Not at this moment. And right now, she wasn't going to tell him anything. Now wasn't the time for her. She wasn't ready.

"Hn. I'm just asking." He responded and rolled over on his back. He placed his hands behind the pillow to support his head and yawned tiredly. Sakura glared up at the ceiling. "Besides, there's obviously something wrong. What did Kakashi talk to you about?"

Sakura tensed slightly. "Who said he talked to me about anything? We were just training."

"You could say that, but I've never known anyone to look like they were crying after training. Even if they were training hard. Something happened. I'm just naturally curious." He admitted. Sakura was amazed at the words coming from his mouth and tried to find a way to answer.

"So we did talk about something. I don't have to tell you everything that happens in my life do I?" She rubbed her eyes and sighed. He wasn't backing down as easily as she would have guessed or hoped. For some reason he was being persistent. "Why are you so keen on finding out?"

There was a pause for a quick moment before Sasuke spoke. "Aren't I supposed to be concerned about you if you're upset?"

Sakura reframed from scoffing. "Oh, so you're only asking because you think it's your duty as my boyfriend to be concerned. You're not doing it because you're actually truly concerned about me huh?" She growled and turned over, her back now facing him. He was so inconsiderate. He was a jerk. He didn't care about her. He really didn't. He was just trying to get her to like him, just so she could carry the heir. Asshole.

She must have pushed some button within him because she was roughly turned over onto her back and Sasuke was hovering above her, glaring down. She glared back up.

"Did I ever say I never cared for you?"

She could have laughed in his face. "Did you ever say you did?" she retorted.

Her triumphant smirk was cut off as his lips descended on hers. She was shocked by the kiss and too frozen to respond to his movements. Sasuke pulled away and a smirk almost tugged at the corner of his mouth as he saw her shocked expression.

She suddenly grew angry. Her hand moved unconsciously as she reached up and smacked him hard across the cheek. "What was that?" she nearly shouted. "You think you can show me how you feel all from a kiss? Heh you are so wrong!" she was furious with him at the moment. "You're just playing! That's all you're doing! You don't actually care for me do you? Do you Sasuke? Tell me right now!"

He never opened his mouth.

"I want honesty! And I can honestly say that I love you! But I know you can't. I don't even know if you ever can." Her voice dropped down as her shouted stopped. Sasuke was now on his back once more frowning as he took in her words. She was right in every way and he knew it.

He couldn't say anything. If he wanted to be honest, he could say that he cared for her. He couldn't say that he loved her. But even if he did say he cared for her, he wasn't sure that she would believe him. So what was he to do? Keep his mouth shut of course.

It didn't surprise Sakura that Sasuke didn't say anything. He was quiet by nature so it's not like he would directly retort to anything she said to him. She rolled over onto her side and willed herself to sleep, hoping everything was just some horrible nightmare.

**( o o )**

**( u u )**

Tenten poured her morning tea and sipped it with delight. She pulled up her loose pajama bottoms and ventured out from the kitchen back to her bedroom. The bathroom connected to her room was closed off since Hinata was in the shower. She knocked on the door and popped her head in. "You don't mind if I brush my hair do you Hinata?" she asked.

"No, go ahead." Hinata said and continued to cleanse herself. She didn't feel terribly uncomfortable seeing as Tenten was her friend and a girl. It was better than having a guy walking in on her.

Tenten pulled her hair out of her buns. Her locks were still lightly damp from her shower last night. She ran her brush through the gentle waves and flattened it down with her hands, frowning at the slight frizzing.

Deciding to get dressed she left the bathroom in time to hear a knock on the front door. It was strange. Usually she didn't have a lot of people coming to her house (save for Gai and Lee who managed to unexpectedly show up at times) and this early in the morning was even weirder.

Not caring about her appearance, she walked to the living room and to her front door. Tenten opened the door and came face to face with her teammate.

"N-Neji? What are you doing here?" she asked in disbelief. He looked slightly annoyed for some reason.

"Can I come in?" he questioned.

"Uh." She didn't know what to say. She couldn't slam the door in his face. No that wouldn't be nice. But Hinata was here. And he couldn't find out. Plus he might turn to hate her if he found out she was keeping this from him.

"Well?"

Although slamming the door in his face sounded good.

Shaking her head she answered, "Sorry, yeah come in." she suddenly felt stupid for her decision. What was she going to do? Hope Hinata took extra long showers?

"Ah, do you want some tea?" she offered. Neji nodded his head.

"I can get it. Is it already made?"

"Yeah. The kettle is on the stovetop." She said. Neji went into the kitchen. He had been in her home a few times either her welcoming him over or if she had the whole team over.

Tenten took a seat on her couch and nervously twiddled her thumbs. Neji came back out and sat on the couch as well. "So," Tenten started. "You're here because?" she asked.

Neji took a drink of tea and set the cup down on the coffee table in front of him. "Hiashi-sama is going insane. He's forcing recruits of the family to start checking with people Lady Hinata is well acquainted with."

Tenten literally gulped. "Oh. So are you here to…?"

"No." He answered quickly. "I actually came here to get away from Hiashi-sama. I didn't want to stay at the house and take orders from him all day. So I told him I was going to train with the team."

"But we don't have team training today."

"I know that. Your place was the first place I thought if coming. I'm sorry if it's so early in the morning." Now Tenten really didn't know what to do. She couldn't kick him out and force him to face his uncle. Maybe the worst wouldn't happen if he knew Hinata was here.

"No it's alright. You can stay here whenever you need to." She said and smiled. Even if it wasn't in Neji's nature he gave her the smallest of smiles back. It gave her a good fluttery feeling that he smiled just for her. Even if he was one of the coldest people on the face of the Earth, he had a genuine side that he reserved for the people he cared for. And she couldn't be happier that she was one of them. It made her all warm inside.

"Tenten? Would you be able to get my other shirt? This one got all wet."

And she suddenly felt like she was drenched in ice water. The panic expression on her face set everything off and Neji gave her a certain look. "Who was that?" he asked. Of course he recognized the voice.

"My…imaginary friend?" Tenten said quietly. Neji stood up off the couch and proceeded to the hallway towards her room. Tenten jumped up and ran after him.

"Neji! It's nothing! Really!" she said and tugged on his arm. She was so thankful that she shut her bedroom door. It was just another boundary preventing him from getting into her room faster.

"That was Hinata wasn't it?" he questioned and reached for the door knob. Tenten tugged on his arm harder and pulled it back. A small growl escaped from the back of his throat. She moved swiftly and wormed her way in-between him and the door.

"You can't barge into my room without permission!" She said angrily.

Neji rolled his eyes. "May I enter your room?"

It was Tenten's turn to roll her eyes. "No."

"Tenten move. I just want to talk to my cousin." He said. His voice was deeper than normal signaling he was getting annoyed.

"No."

"Tenten move."

"No Neji."

The girl pushed at him, forcing him back slightly. Neji shifted his weight onto his back leg to stabilize himself. He didn't realize Tenten was this strong. He had to push back to keep his place. "Move…Tenten."

"You can't go in there!" She said and pushed harder. Neji finally grabbed her arms and moved aside. Tenten stumbled forward and he moved over to the door. Tenten had to do something. She was desperate. She couldn't let him walk in there. For all of their sakes. Besides…she didn't know if Hinata had the shirt on yet.

So through her desperation, she made the most desperate move ever. "Neji!" The door opened and Tenten jumped in front of the boy. Before he could look into the room, she pushed into him and placed her lips on his in an unexpected kiss.

Neji stumbled backwards and Tenten fell back with him. He was pushed up into the wall with the girl leaning into his chest. It was one of the most awkward moments every. Save for the time she accidentally threw a tampon at Neji instead of a shruiken at practice. He used his rotation and the thing bounced off his ultimate defense and fell to the ground with him staring at it with the stupidest look on his face and Tenten blushing so bad her legs grew weak because the blood was rushing to her cheeks.

The pair broke apart and stared at each other for what seemed like the longest time. Tenten was blushing intensely and Neji looked confused. The boy moved away from the wall, walked around the kunoichi and entered her room. The brown eyed girl stared at the wall wondering what she had just done. It then registered in her mind that Neji wasn't there and she turned and hurried into her room.

There Neji stood in the middle of her room looking around. She had to do something. She had to stop him from finding Hinata. Maybe she could get Hinata to escape before Neji found her. Yeah that would be good. That way Neji wouldn't have to know a thing. And she could make something up about hearing Hinata's voice. So now she just had to…

"Byakugan!"

Oh damn.

"Neji!" she charged forward and didn't know what she was doing as her hands reached up and covered his eyes. It was all silent then and it would have been a picture perfect moment if someone was there with a camera.

"Tenten." Neji said calmly.

"Yeah?" she said very quietly.

"You know I can see right through your hand right?"

"Yeah."

Tenten slowly returned her hands to her side. She moved away from Neji and sat on her snow white bed set sighing. She failed. She failed Hinata. She wanted to keep her hidden, but she couldn't. Neji was just too much for her. She went as far as kissing him! And now he probably thought she was a freak or something.

"Hinata, come out of the closet."

The closet door slowly opened and Hinata emerged, fully clothed and looking slightly sheepish. "N-Neji." She trembled out.

"What were you doing in the closet?" Neji questioned, his arms now crossing over his chest. It almost gave him a look of authority. Maybe he felt more manly standing like that. Maybe all men did? Was that why they always did it? Tenten was pondering this for some reason as she studied his stance.

"W-well, I came to get my shirt. And you opened the door when I grabbed it. Luckily Tenten distracted you by um…" she blushed suddenly. "And I hid in the closet quickly. I don't know why I hid there. I just did." She said. Neji raised an eyebrow. "So what brings you here Neji?" the heiress asked nervously. She avoided eye contact with her cousin.

The older boy took a seat by Tenten on her bed. "We need to talk Hinata."

**( o o )**

**( u u )**

Sakura walked alongside Ino as they entered the large stadium of the local village university. For those children and teens who didn't want to become ninjas (or their parents wouldn't allow it) the local normal schools and collage were the place for their education. (Haven't you ever wondered what happens to the non ninja kids?)

The pair had agreed on doing their own light training together today so they had a chance to talk. They just planned on running the track a bit and doing some other exercises. This way there would be less of a chance of running into someone they know and less of a chance of being overheard. The woods could get unusually quiet at times.

"Do we look hoe-ish?" Ino asked as she looked down at herself. Both of the girls were only in sports bras and athletic shorts.

"No. We'll fit in with those girls. What are they called? Cheerleads I think." Sakura replied. She didn't feel totally uncomfortable. There shouldn't be too many people at the stadium. It was late in the morning and it was a Saturday. No one had school on Saturday.

It would be strange for the pair of them. Two ninja girls at a stadium that was built for the normal collage kids. They didn't know any kids who went to the collage or anything about the school really. They hadn't been in school for nearly seven years.

"Who's watching Sasuke today?" The blonde asked as she and Sakura began to stretch. The stadium was large with seats all around. A track circled its way around the place and a field stretched out in the middle of the track. There were a few kids up on the bleachers and a game of football between some collage guys going on in the field.

"Kakashi." Sakura said. She had been very skeptical when Kakashi showed up on her doorstep. She had requested for Tsunade to send someone over for the day and she had no idea that it would be the silver haired jounin. Maybe she would return home to breathing people.

After stretching a good amount the two began to jog around the track slowly. "Yeah so we had dinner at my parents last night." Ino said. She kept her arms snug to her body and she and Sakura fell in step as they ran together. Sakura looked over at her.

"How'd that go?"

Ino smiled half-heartedly then grimaced. "I think Shika-kun and I should go into hiding right now." Sakura gasped lightly.

"You told them?" she asked. Ino nodded. Her blonde hair swung behind her back. Sakura had to keep holding hers back to prevent it from getting in her face. Everything was easier with shorter hair. Her pink tresses were now just past her shoulder blades, like it was when she was twelve. She liked it long; it was just a hassle to take care of some times.

"Yeah. They didn't exactly take it too well either. Daddy was furious. Mom looked so confused and Yoshino-san looked like she wanted to murder Shikamaru." Ino giggle lightly at her own words.

"What about Shika's dad?" Sakura asked.

"I think he was dead. Or so caught up in the shock. Or he didn't care."

"He didn't care. That seems like Shikamaru's dad the most." Sakura knew for a fact that Shikamaru took after his father. The carefree, this is troublesome attitude. If it didn't concern him, he personally didn't care. Although when finding out something like this, you would think he would have reacted a bit more…violently.

"Oh well. Maybe I should stick by his dad if we have to be near our parents. He might protect me from my own dad. Not so much Shika-kun's mom though." Ino commented as she thought of how frightened Shikaku seemed to be of his wife.

The two ran three more laps in silence. Sakura was debating on the inside if she should tell Ino about her own situation. It wasn't like Ino hid her own pregnancy from Sakura. She didn't even know about it.

Beside her, Ino's breathing began to labor slightly. Though she didn't sweat or anything. She was a trained shinobi and she could run for miles without breaking a sweat. Her body was so used to the tiring work that it never seemed to affect either of them.

"Have you noticed?" Ino then asked, breaking Sakura's train of thought. Yes she knew what her friend was talking about.

"Yeah. I've felt their looks for a while now." she said. It wasn't all ninja skill that told her that the guys playing football had slowed their game down to get a good look at the new comers jogging. Natural instinct over took her and she could feel their lecherous looks.

"Why don't we have some fun?" Ino said with a smirk. She and Sakura ran by the boys and she gave them a playful wink and wave. Sakura shook her head with slight embarrassment. "Come on Forehead!"

Sakura could feel the blush spread along her cheeks. She gave a small wave at the guys who cheered and wolf whistled as Ino waved more enthusiastically. "Let's go play with them." She said and tugged on Sakura's arm. The two made their way over to the guys and Ino arched her back to stretch. This exposed her almost perfectly flat stomach and she smiled with a slight twinkle in her eye. She was always flirtatious.

Sakura stood close by her friend. "I haven't seen you two around before. You go to school at the University?" the one to ask looked like the ring leader. He had deep blue hair that fell in front of his midnight blue eyes. He really wasn't a bad sight to look at.

"Oh, no we're visiting here. We're from the sand village." Ino lied smartly. She talked fast before Sakura had a chance to open her mouth and the jade eyed girl gave her friend a look out of the corner of her eye.

"Sand village huh? Do you go to school there?" he asked in a deep curious tone. You could just tell he was trying to sound sexy. Sakura wanted to laugh out loud but held it all back.

"Sure. We…uh we study medics." Sakura said, now playing along. Ino sent her a 'nice one' look. She beamed.

"Medics. That's nice. I'm a physics major." He declared proudly. Ino stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "You know, we could always escort you ladies around the village anytime you like."

The girls both looked at each other then, a signal for them both to laugh out loud. The leader and his friends all looked confused.

"That's a nice offer." Ino said in between her laughter. "But we only date ninjas."

The boy's faces fell. None of them were obviously ninja. Their dreams of taking out the two beautiful women were just shattered.

The leader wasn't pleased in anyway. "What's so great about ninjas?"

"Well, for one they have really nice bodies." Ino said with a dream look on her face. Sakura had a suspicion she was thinking of Shikamaru in a way she didn't need to think about. "And they're so mysterious and dangerous. Not to mention really athletic."

The boy snorted. "I'm athletic. You don't have to be a ninja to be athletic." He proclaimed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Really now. I bet you anything you can't even beat me in a race." Ino said smirking. She loved to bet (not as much as their Hokage) and she loved to prove that she was better than other people.

"Heh. You're on pretty lady. Just don't cry when you lose." He said confidently.

"Yeah you picked the wrong person." One boy behind him said. Ino glared at the amused look in his silver eyes. "Riku is the captain of the track team."

"Really now? Well you better go easy on me." Ino said with a pout. They began to walk over to the track.

"Just be careful Ino. You know you're not supposed to overwork yourself." Sakura whispered to the blued eyed kunoichi.

"I know, I know. Don't worry." She whispered back.

"Well just try to avoid falling." Sakura said. Ino rolled her eyes.

"I'm a ninja for heaven sake Sakura not a klutzy blond idiot." Ino whispered harshly and took her place on the track. She stood beside Riku who smirk at her.

"Let's make this more interesting." He said. "How about, if you lose, you go out on a date with me."

"And if you lose…you get to take me out for lunch." Ino said back. She crouched down and got ready to take off.

"Heh, fine with me."

'_What are you doing Ino?' _Sakura yelled in her mind.

"On your mark. Get set. GO!"

The pair took off and Sakura sat back watching with a smug look. She knew there was no way that man could win against Ino. Even if she was pregnant, he still wouldn't beat a girl who's been training nearly her whole life.

She watched as her friend easily pulled forward and put plenty of distance between her and her opponent. The other boys watched in disbelief as their leader was being beaten easily by a girl.

"Pick up the pace captain!" Ino shouted behind her. Sakura sent out a pulse of chakra and felt that Ino wasn't using any of her own. She was just running on her own, no ninja powers to help. Within the next minute the girl reached the goal and came to a stop.

"HA!" she said and threw her hands up in the air. Riku came up not too long behind her and was breathing heavily.

"You….how….how did you?" Riku asked.

"Never mind that. You own me lunch and I know the perfect place. And you can treat my friend as well." Ino said. She walked up to him and linked their arms together and motioned for sakura to join them. Hesitantly Sakura did and loosely linked her arms with Riku's.

Even though he had just lost to a girl and his ego was slightly shattered, it wasn't totally broken since he had a girl on each arm. He looked over his shoulder and with a grin said, "I'll see you guys around." Before being led away by Sakura and Ino.

Their charade continued as the two girls led the boy to Ichiraku. Sakura was going along with Ino who had a plan. She had the boy take her out if he lost because one, she knew he would lose, and two, she knew Shikamaru was going to be out with Chouji today and she knew exactly where they would be. So she would teach him for hitting on her and for talking bad about ninjas.

While walking, Riku had grown a bit too comfortable with the pair and now held them both around their waists. Sakura wanted to punched the ass right in the face but didn't. She kept sending Ino uncomfortable looks.

"Yeah so I work in my mom's flower shop and Sakura there works in the hospital already." Ino said. Most of the story she was saying was somewhat true. Besides where they lived.

"A flower shop in the desert?" Riku asked questionably.

"We import them." Ino covered. She was relived to see the noodle bar come into view. "Oh look we're here!" she chimed. Sakura looked happy as well. Maybe she could escape from all of this.

The group advanced upon Ichiraku and when looking inside, the girls were surprised, yet unsurprised all at the same time. There sat both of their teams. Chouji, Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, and Kakashi. The bowls were being piled up from two occupants and the rest ate in silence.

Sakura cleared her throat earning a look from Riku and for the rest of the group to turn around. The first thing she noted was the glare Sasuke put out.

"Shika-kun! I knew you'd be here!" Ino squealed and tackled her boyfriend from behind, causing some of his bowls contents to spill on the countertop. Shikamaru was glaring at Riku who now looked utterly confused. He let go of Sakura.

"Uh…" he didn't know what to do or say.

"Sakura why are you with…that guy?" Naruto asked as he observed the man. He too was glaring and feeling a sudden possessive feeling of the girl.

"Him?" Sakura asked innocently. She glanced over at Ino who was ordering her own ramen after seating herself in-between Chouji and Shikamaru. "He's a friend we met."

That still didn't stop the glares Riku was receiving and Sakura almost felt bad for him. She now knew that Ino had planned this. She had known that her boyfriend at least was going to be here.

"Alright I'm confused." Riku said as he looked over the group of people. He saw the possessive arm that was placed around Ino's waist but Shikamaru. He noticed Sakura squeeze herself in-between Sasuke and Sai.

A giggle erupted from Ino as she swung around in her seat. "Sorry to say man, but we were just playing with you the whole time. Sakura and I, we're ninja from here. We've lived in this village our whole lives." Riku looked shocked and like he had just been slapped in the face. Ino turned back around when a bowl of ramen was placed before her.

Sakura turned around. "Yeah we just…" she trailed off when she noticed he was gone. "Well that was fast. Too bad he didn't run that fast against you Ino." She said. She still felt slightly guilty for what she had done, but it was good fun while it lasted. Now she figured he would go and say that he had an awesome time with two hot chicks and act like the cool guy he wasn't.

Although there was still a problem. She could feel the hate waves radiating off of Sasuke beside her. Was he brooding after seeing her with another guy? Oh that was funny. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and the look held an angry possession she had never seen before. It gave her chills.

"What's with the clothing option as well?" Sasuke asked as he looked her over. Sakura frowned.

"Ino and I were training. That's all. Nothing for you to be concerned about. Is there something wrong with it?" she asked.

"Well Sakura-chan it is a bit..."

"Hoe-ish?" Ino finished Naruto's sentence.

"Not what I was going to say but…in a way."

"Ha! I told you Forehead! I was right!" Ino cried triumphantly.

"Let's hurry up now. We're expected in Tsunade-sama's office for a mission briefing soon." Kakashi said. He had finished his ramen long ago without his face being shown off to anyone. It was a wonder how it happened, but no one will ever question how a monkey chasing a crying midget just happened to go running down the street at the time they ordered and by the time they looked back, Kakashi was pulling his mask up and thanking the old man for the meal.

"A mission briefing?" Sakura asked. She had taken a pair of chopsticks and broke them apart. Instead of ordering a bowl of her own, she could save money and steal from her beloved friends. She leaned over and stole a bit of Sai's ramen. She placed the bit in her mouth and chewed.

Then wanted to spit it right back up.

Her eyes stung and watered and she forced herself to swallow the ramen she took. "Spicy wasabi ramen?" she questioned him. He nodded and continued to delve on his own noodles. Ok, so she would stay away from his bowl. Instead she turned to Sasuke's and stole from him. She tasted his. Ah, chicken and veggies. That she could handle.

"Yeah Sakura-chan! We actually get to go on a mission! Baa-chan wants us to meet in her office soon." Naruto said before drinking the broth out of his bowl. "One more." he said and raised his bowl up.

"I think you've had enough." Kakashi suggested. He noted the other six bowls that were still sitting next to him, besides Chouji's large pile up. "Besides, we should get going." He said and stood from hi seat. The others did as well and they split the bill, save for Sakura who really didn't have any besides her share of her boyfriend's.

"We'll see you around Ino. I'll check up on you after this mission." Sakura said and waved to her friend. Ino waved back.

"I'll be waiting for you. Good luck with your mission."

They took a quick detour and allowed Sakura to change before going to the Hokage's office. The group arrived at Tsunade's office and was currently waiting inside for the blonde Hokage. In the mean time, Naruto had grown impatient and asked Sakura about Riku. With a slight giggle, she went through the whole story of how she and Ino met him and the whole bet.

"Yeah, so that's why she and I came there with him." she said and ended her tale there.

Naruto crossed his arms. "I still think he looked fishy. You better watch yourself Sakura-chan. Keep away from guys like him." he said. "You know! We should find you a nice boyfriend! Someone who I know will take care of you and I can trust!"

Sakura paled at the words. "That's alright Naruto." Next to her, Sasuke's fist clenched and unclenched and he reframed from beating the kid.

"Well I think we should find you someone. Although there aren't really many guys that are worthy of you." Naruto said. He placed his pointed finger on his chin in a thinking manor. "I'll let you know if I think of someone!" he said.

Sakura just nodded. She didn't bother to look up at Sasuke who was un-doubtfully pissed off. The door opened behind the group and Tsunade entered the room. She strode past them and took her seat behind her desk. Looking down at the mission sheet before her, she then looked up.

"It nice to see Team Kakashi back in my office awaiting missions." she said in a calm tone. Her fierce amber gaze was mostly directed at Sasuke who was taking more interest in the room than the Hokage. "I have an A ranked mission here. I'm limited on my teams and I thought this would be a good opportunity to exercise someone's behavior. From what I've heard he's been a good boy."

Sasuke scowled. He didn't like being called a 'good boy.'

"There is a man by the name of Yakushi Akito. He's an A ranked criminal. There have been rumors that he holds two scrolls containing secret information." Her face grew serious as she told them this information. "This mission is an assassination and scroll retrieval mission."

The team before her said nothing but listened to their instructions. "Sakura." She said. The girl instantly stood up straight at the sound of her name. "This mission calls for you especially."

"Hai." She said and waited to hear what she was needed for.

"The man, Akito is a known womanizer. He goes out to bars and picks up women. There had been reports of murders of young woman in places that he's stayed and he has been a suspect of these murders." Sakura gasped and her eyes widened slightly. "You'll have to try to catch his attention and lure him to you. If you're able to, you will be the one to assassinate him and take the scrolls. It's been reported that he carries two small scrolls around with him almost everywhere, and they should be the one's we are after."

Sakura didn't respond. "If you don't think you'll be able to do this, just tell me. I can team together Team Asuma and have Ino take your place. I thought it would be easier for you since you don't have a relationship established with someone. That I'm aware of anyways." She said with a stern look. "Do you think you'll be able to do this?"

Sakura never noticed the looked Kakashi was sending her. It was almost as if he was willing her to decline this. "Hai. I can do it."

"Good. Then you all are to leave for Mist country in two hours. You will stay there until your mission is complete or it is a failure, which I know it won't be. You are all dismissed."

**All I can say is...please review. I really need something to cheer me up. **


	25. Empty affection

**I really want to thank you all for the support you have given me. I'm doing well, and typing is helping as a distraction. I'm used to death in this time of my life (weird for a 15 year old to say) but yeah. So thank you all and I hope you enjoy this….although…I do have a fair warning. **

**The worst to happen maybe in a few chapters, 2-3 I think and it has nothing to do with the mission they are going on. Um, you will all hate me. I plan on having a big tragedy, then another, then things will clear up, then another slightly bad happening, then everything should run smoothly and you will all get the wonderful and mainly happy ending you all want. There will be a huge twist at the end that will lead into the sequel!**

**Ok, I'm giving a lot away. So onward. **

**You already know my disclaimer.**

**A big thanks to _Lil Sasuke _for being my 1000th reviewer! Thank you all for my reveiws and here are cookies for you all! Your favorite kind of course! And...a free trip to a hot spring? with your choice of one of the Naruto characters! **

"Hinata, why did you run away?" Neji asked as he studied the girl. He noticed her own protective boundary was being put up as she placed her hands in front of her and lightly bit down on her thumb.

"Um…I-I just…I couldn't-take staying there." She answered truthfully. Her confidence levels dropped as she wondered what Neji would do. Would he turn her in to her father, or let her be? Neji was an unpredictable person so you could never tell. She watched him with careful eyes and his face remained as stoic as ever.

Tenten listened carefully, also curious as to what Neji was planning. He had only had expectations to stay and hide in Tenten's home, not find the refugee here. Would he hate her from keeping his from him? Oh she hoped not. She never wanted Neji to be mad at her. Oh dear! What about the kiss? What if he hated her for that? She began to inwardly panic and missed out on what the other two were saying.

"I'm tired of Hiashi-sama as well. His rules for us all are ridiculous and I for one do not wish to abide by them. Though I don't have much choice." Neji stated distastefully. The boy didn't hold respect for many people besides his elders. "That was a bold move you pulled, running away."

Hinata blushed and lowered her head. She didn't know how to answer to that but she had a question for him. "What do you plan on doing with me? Are…are you going to tell father?" she asked quietly.

Neji sighed and leaned back slightly on the bed. Tenten beside him was started by the sudden movement and jumped lightly. Neji gave her a strange look out of the corner of his eye as he crossed his arms. "I'll leave that to you. If you want to talk to Hiashi-sama then you do that. If you wish to remain here with Tenten, then that is your choice. Though," he started. His eyes turned a slightly darker shade. "I heard that Naruto is on the brutal receiving end of Hiashi-sama's wrath."

Hinata gasped and looked terrified at that moment. What could her father be doing to Naruto? "What do you mean?" She gasped out.

"Naruto was interrogated by Hiashi-sama. None to nicely I should add. They're accusing him of smuggling you out of the house and out of the village. Truly outrageous really." He looked thoroughly displeased as he thought of the family's unpleasant means of taking care of the situation at hand. "I'm shocked really. He was smiling like his normal self just yesterday as if nothing happened."

'_He's strong'_ Hinata thought. _'Just like I have to be.' _She knew she had to go back and face her father. She had to do something, say something. There had to be a way to get out of the whole mess so she could be with Naruto. If only she didn't have to be the next heiress.

The thought seemed to smack her in the face. Her face went blank as she stared off into space, formulating the plan in her head. It just may work. It could, she just had to convince her father that….oh it had to…

"Neji!" she suddenly burst out. The unnatural tone of her voice shocked the other two. "I know it's a big thing to ask but…do you think that…if I convinced father…that you would take over as head of the family?"

The question was more of a surprise than anything. Neji was rendered speechless and Tenten gawked at her friend. "Wait…you want Neji…to take over as head of the family in your place?" she asked to make sure she heard correctly. The heiress nodded.

"Please. I know it may be selfish of me, but it may be good for both of us. I'll be able to be with Naruto and you will get the respect you deserve and want. You may not say it Neji, but I know you crave the higher level of respect from the family that your truly deserve." She was pleading now. Her face held a look of desperation.

Neji knew she was right too. He did want respect even if it was hard for him to admit. And for her to be with Naruto. He could see her brighter, happier face now. He had grown slightly protective of the girl. It was part of his duty, but also part of their ties that bonded them as cousins. He felt the need to do what he could to make her happy. But will Hiashi do it? Will he induct someone of the branch family, to take over as head? It would take a lot to convince him. It wouldn't be easy and Hinata would be in for one hard battle. But if she was able to do it, could he handle the responsibility of being in charge?

He could figure it out. He was a strong shinobi and a strong team leader when he was appointed to be. Surely he could do this.

"If you find a way to convince Hiashi-sama, then I will take your place as the head of the family Hinata." He finally agreed. The girls face lit up and she nodded her head.

"Thank you so much Neji. I'll try my hardest." She had to go. She had to see her father and talk to him. "I have to go and see him. I'll return for my things later if you don't mind Tenten?"

The brunette shook her head. "Of course not." She responded and smiled. "I really hope everything works out for you." She said encouragingly. Hinata smiled.

"Thank you. Both of you. I really should go now." The girl walked briskly from the room. That left Neji and Tenten together. Alone in Tenten's room.

Tenten suddenly realized how quiet it was. Not that it mattered. It was actually nice just being with Neji on any circumstances. They didn't have to be doing anything in particular and she could be content. But should she say something? But what to say? Or maybe he would talk. Oh no, that wouldn't happen. It was Neji with her not Lee.

"If you don't mind my asking, what was with that kiss?" Neji surprisingly asked. Tenten jumped back into the middle of her bed.

"Oh that…that was to stop you from, you know going in my room! It obviously didn't stop you. I'm really sorry. I didn't intend to do it, really I didn't." she stopped her rambling in an attempt to stop more embarrassment from washing over her.

The pale eyed boy seemed satisfied with the answer since he didn't reply. The silence wasn't necessarily uncomfortable. Between the two, they had grown used to each other and accustomed to what each person was like. The silences between them were almost a natural thing that was supposed to be there. They were never out of place or awkward.

"So," Tenten started as she played with her pant leg. She noticed that she still hadn't changed out of her pajamas. "Do you think you could handle being head of the family? You know, if Hiashi-sama ever let you take over?" she questioned.

Neji sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not so sure." He said. The boy fell back on the bed just in front of his teammate and stared at the ceiling. It really was a big responsibility.

The girl let out a small chuckle and brushed the small amount of bangs that covered Neji's face out of the way. She smiled down at him. He glanced up at her and the moment their eyes made contact they both looked away. That was strange. The way they just were, it was almost like…and intimate moment between a couple or something. Now that was awkward and out of place. Though not unpleasant on Tenten's side.

Neji sat up and shook his head slightly. That was strange. He had a felt this warm feeling flow through him when Tenten smiled down at him. It wasn't unpleasant or anything of the sort. It was a nice feeling that was new to him. He had felt it very few other times before. And it all happened when he was around his female teammate. The whole feeling was a mystery to him. He wasn't an expert on emotions and he had never experienced anything like this before.

"I think I'm going to train." He managed to speak out. He didn't see the disappointed look on the girl's face when he said those words. She really wanted him to stay so she could spend more time with him.

Neji suddenly turned around to her. "Would you like to join me?"

Sometimes she felt really lucky. She didn't have a family, and she didn't have a huge amount of friends. Her life as a ninja was tough as can be but…still she did have a lot. She had enough friends, plenty enough for her that loved her all the same. And her life wasn't terrible. She choose the ninja life and vowed to get stronger and stronger. But she did have a family. Her team was her family. They loved her, they supported her, and they took care of her. They gave her what she needed. Even if they drove her mad sometimes, she couldn't help but love them as much as they loved her.

And Tenten knew that Neji loved her too. Maybe not in the way she wanted, but there was always time for that to change. Everything changes over time. And at times, she thought she could see the caring look she had always wanted from Neji. It would be for a brief moment, but it was there. The loving, caring look. She would just have to wait till he realized his feelings for her.

"Yeah I'll come. Just give me time to change." She said smiling. Once again, one of those reserved, rare smiles was shown. It was a ghost of a smile maybe, but it was for her and only her.

And she loved it.

**(0 0) **

**( u u )**

"I think this will be enough. It's only a two day travel from here to Mist country so we'll have to eat on the way." Sakura proclaimed as she finished off the last bento. She packed them together and smiled at her handy work. "We don't need too much to eat right? And we'll improvise on the rest of the way."

Her talk was out loud, but mainly to herself since Sasuke really wasn't listening from his place on the couch. He had his bag packed all ready and he just wanted to go. He didn't show it at all but he was extremely anxious to get going on this mission. Though he wasn't thrilled with Sakura's roll at all. Some other guy hitting on his girlfriend did not suit Uchiha Sasuke well at all and if that man did anything to her, oh he would be dead before he even knew what hit him.

"Let's get going now. I have to stop by Ino's if you don't mind." She said. They weren't due to the village gates for just over half an hour and she had to get some supplies from her friend.

"Hn."

It didn't take them long until they reached the small apartment that belonged to Ino and Shikamaru. Sakura knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. She could faintly hear some yelled from behind the door. Sakura paled and Sasuke raised an eyebrow to the sound. This didn't sound great.

The door opened to reveal a disheveled Shikamaru who suddenly looked solaced. He stepped right out of the way while saying, "Please help."

Sakura immediately stepped inside and figured the problem was Ino. "What's wrong?" she inquired. There was a muffled cry down the hallway. Sasuke stared down the hall with a dumbfounded look.

"Her. She…she's unmanageable!" he said in expiration. If it was someone who was weaker than Shikamaru, they probably would be crying right now. "I want her un-pregnant. I can't take it!"

Sakura patted his shoulder and led him over to the couch. Sasuke sat on the other side while Sakura took the spot in the middle. "What is it Shikamaru?" Sakura asked again.

"Ino. She had said something about wanting to get new clothes. So I suggested that we look for clothes that will fit her better. And she took it the wrong way and now she's freaking out and I can't stop her!" the poor boy looked completely lost. He didn't know what to do.

And Sasuke on the other hand observed the situation and wondered why he was in such a hurry to have the next heir. If being with a pregnant woman broke Shikamaru down like this, it would surly be hell for him.

"Don't worry. Let me talk to her. I have to get a dress from her anyways." Sakura suggested and stood up. She walked from the room and entered Ino's bedroom.

"Ino? It's me. Are you alright?" she asked cautiously. She peered into the room to find clothes strewn about. Her friend was viciously rummaging through her dresser and pulling out different sets of clothes, then shaking her head at them and mindlessly tossing them behind her. "Do you enjoy making your room a pigsty Ino-pig?" Sakura questioned with a raised eyebrow. She picked up a kimono style light green blouse that was lined with black. She had to remember to ask to borrow that some time.

Tossing the shirt on the bed Sakura walked over to Ino's side and looked down as the blonde muttered things to herself and held a crazed look on her face.

"Ino?" Sakura spoke a bit louder. The semi-insane girl turned around while holding a pair of faded tight jeans in her hands.

"These fit me three weeks ago! Three weeks! Now they don't even go over my fat butt and my thighs are huge and I can't take this! I'm fat Sakura! Just say it! Shika basically said it to me! I want the truth!" The sane kunoichi could have sworn she saw a dribble of drool roll from the other one's mouth but said nothing. She leaned down and put a hand on her shoulder and led the girl to her bed, much like what she had just done for Shikamaru.

"Ino, you're not fat. It's all from the baby. It's a cute baby pouch." Sakura said in a baby tone and poked at the small bulge through her friend's black t-shirt. Ino slapped her hand away and frown threateningly. Her blue eyes flashed darkly as a warning to never do that again. "Besides, you can't avoid…growing." Sakura said, hoping her word wouldn't offend Ino. She couldn't say, "Besides you can't avoid getting fat." That was one of the girl's worst nightmares (Apart from going a whole day forgetting that she wasn't wearing pants. Sakura had heard that nightmare many many times.)

"Hmph. Right. Did you need something?" Ino said moodfully.

"First, understand that Shikamaru wasn't calling you fat." Sakura explained and left the bed. She crossed over to the closet and opened the door. The small room had been separated from Ino's things to Shikamaru's. Sakura started rummaging through Ino's clothes. The girl sure did have a lot of jackets considering they lived in fire country. It may not get as hot as Suna, but with their country's higher humidity average, it sure felt hotter.

"Well, what he said wasn't nice. Said that we could look for clothes that will fit me better." She said dejectfully. "It's as if he doesn't like how I look."

Sakura picked up a small black halter top dress and looked it over. "But couldn't he have meant that he just wanted you to be happy and comfortable?" she retorted in Shikamaru's defense. Ino didn't reply at all. Sakura held the dress up to her frame. The bottom frilled out and came down just above her knees. It seemed perfect.

Stepping out of the closet, the medic nin noticed her friend looking guilty. She smiled unknowingly. The pair would work things out. Really, she thought they just needed some time away from each other. That's all they needed at the moment.

"What did you need anyway?" Ino asked quietly.

Sakura held up the dress. "Something to wear. I have an alluring mission." she said, using the kunoichi nickname for these types of missions. She sighed and bit her lip. "If I can handle it." she concluded. Ino looked up in sympathy.

"I always hated those missions. Some of the guys could be real creeps. I hope this guy for you is a least semi cute. Is it an assassination?"

Sakura nodded and walked towards the door. "Yeah it is. And the whole thing basically rides on me. I have to seduce him, I have to kill him, and I have to steal the scroll we need from him." In her head, Sakura debated over telling Ino about her pregnancy or not.

Definitely not. She didn't need the other girl to worry about her and stress out. Ino already had enough stress on herself as it is so even adding this small tidbit of strain wouldn't help her.

"Yeah, well Sasuke and I have to get to the village gates in like…ten minutes so I'll talk to you when I get back. I have to give you another checkup. You need to get an ultrasound done." Sakura said smiling. Ino's face remained unreadable as she watched her friend exit the room. She listened to the small goodbyes being exchanged and the front door closed as the two teammates left her home.

"Shikamaru!" she shouted loudly.

An audible sigh filled her ears as she heard his footsteps approach their room. He walked in and looked at the jumble of clothes on the floor. He rubbed the back of his head and looked over at Ino who stared at the floor with a sorry expression.

"You rang?" he asked, sounding almost annoyed. But he wasn't annoyed with her. He was just tired. And lazy. And wanted to rest.

There was a drawn out pause before Ino parted her lips to speak. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you." She spoke softly. His eyes widened at her words. He was expecting to be told to do something, not be apologized to. "I know I'm bossy, demanding, spoiled, and a plain old brat. And I take advantage of you, and I cry until I get what I want. I've always been like that and I'm sorry for doing it to you. I know you only want what's best for me, and I'll try to be better. Better for you." She avoided looking at him.

Shikamaru walked over to her. "Mendoksu." He said as he sat beside her. Ino looked up with a confused look, her mouth agape. "Would I be with you if I didn't like you just how you were? Sure you can be bossy but, that's Ino. That's who you are. You take charge and don't let anyone get in your way. I love that about you. You're a strong woman Ino."

The kunoichi's eyes softened as she smiled at her koibito. "Ai Shiteru Shika-kun." She said and hugged him tightly around the waist.

"Oi. You're going to kill me." He said as he noted just how tight the embrace was. She pulled back and pouted cutely, causing him to grin easily. He could never resist her pout. Ino rested her head on his shoulder.

"I think we should take that shopping trip. I don't have anything that will fit me." She said, pointing to the inanimate clothing. Shikamaru nodded.

"You're in luck. I get paid tomorrow."

Ino's eyes sparkled dangerously and her grin widened. Shikamaru gulped. Tomorrow would be his own personal nightmare.

Surprisingly they were the first to arrive at the gates of the village. Sasuke and Sakura waited for the other members to arrive. It wasn't long until the lustrous colors of Naruto appeared. Though his colors stood out against his hidden, gloomily looking face. He bore no smile, which would have been expected seeing that he was finally going on a higher ranked mission. Instead he looked, for lack of a better term, depressed.

The boy walked up to the pair and would have kept going had Sakura not grabbed his arm. He looked up and noticed he had made it to his destination and was gaining an odd look from one person and being ignored by the other.

"Naruto?" Sakura said, having to bend over to see his face. He gave her a sideways glance and straightened up. "Something the matter?"

The change was almost immediate and Naruto suddenly went bipolar. He grinned sheepishly; his eyes closed and rubbed the back of his head. "Of course Sakura-chan. I was just…admiring the ground." He covered lamely. He knew it was the stupidest thing ever to say, but he didn't want the girl to worry over him too much.

There was a snort of disbelief on Sasuke's end. Kakashi could come up with a better excuse than that. Sakura took his hint and dropped the subject for the moment. She would ask him later. She knew how he felt. Something happened, and at the moment he didn't want to talk, but he would talk eventually. And she would always be there to listen to him.

Not too long after Naruto, Sai arrived with his practiced, fake smile. The others gave him a mediocre greeting, causing the emotionless boy to wonder if he did something wrong.

_Twenty minutes later…_

"I spy with my amazingly awesome eye something…green." Naruto said as he looked out into the forest. Sakura sweatdropped, Sai looked around curiously, trying to locate said "green" item and Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"The whole damn forest is green moron." The brooding man said as he rolled his eyes. The game was pointless since there wasn't much to "spy."

"Yeah well that means there are a lot of options!" Naruto retorted. He seethed at his teammate, shaking a fist at him.

Suddenly a puff of smoke erupted from behind Sasuke, who stayed collected and didn't even flinch at the sudden intrusion. "Yo."

"You're late damnit!" Came two cries as two sets of fingers pointed at him accusingly. The silver haired jounin held his hands in front of him in defense, smiling innocently.

"What was it now?" Sakura asked seething.

"Helping a cat out of a tree?" Naruto went on.

"Helping an old lady?" Sakura asked.

"Covering up a murder?" Naruto said.

"Fell in the toilet?" Sakura spoke.

"Was attacked by evil alien clowns" Naruto indicted.

"Couldn't find your lucky boxers?" Sakura denounced.

"My, my Sakura. How did you know? You wouldn't happen to have taken them from me could you? You little pervert." Kakashi said amusingly and watched as the girl's face grew bright red.

"I didn't say that! You jerk! I did not! Why would I?" The girl let out a howl of frustration and turned around, stomping away from the man. "And I'm not a perv!" she cried.

**--------**

"The village is just up here." Kakashi noted. He knew the area well having been to the Village hidden in the Mist many times. He had taken the route they were on now many times and could basically time how long it would be until they reached their destination. "Headbands off." He said as he began to untie his hitai ate. He pulled an eye patch out from his pocket and placed it over his sharingan.

"Why? Aren't we allies with the mist country?" Sakura questioned as she untied her headband. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai all did the same.

"This guys going to be cautious of any ninja." Sasuke said and tucked his hitai ate away in his pocket. He ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it out.

"Correct Sasuke." Kakashi spoke. "We have to keep a low profile while we're here. I mean, we can't be seen to close to Sakura if we wander out. I would prefer that we stay inside until we locate Akito. Aside from myself. I have to gather information." The older man came to a halt. He took out a kunai from his weapons pouch and made a small slit in his thumb. Quickly, he made the necessary hand seals and slammed his hands down to the ground. "Summoning jutsu!"

A large cloud of smoke surrounded the area Kakashi had set his hands down. As it began to dissipate, a small figure was left sitting on the ground, looking up at its master. "You need me for something?"

"Pakuun!" Naruto cried out. The dog was no longer a puppy as it once was when the group was twelve, but Pakuun hadn't grown too much since then. He was still the small pug that the group had come to know. The hound licked his paw as he awaited instructions.

"You're going to be traveling with Sakura. I need you to sniff someone out." Kakashi said. He set his pack down on the dirt path and began to shuffle through it. "The associates who assigned us this mission had one clue on Akito. Tsunade gave it to me and said it should help in locating him." It was then that Kakashi pulled out a small white sock form his bag.

"Uh…a sock?" Sakura asked as she looked at it curiously. Kakashi smiled.

"Exactly." He kneeled down and held the garment in front of the small dog who sniffed at it.

"But where did they get it?" Naruto asked.

"They were following his trail and it led to a hotel he stayed at. He forgot this little piece in his room." Kakashi placed the stock back in his bag. "Now, Sakura you don't happen to have street clothes on you do you? It won't matter too much for the rest of us, but you have to look as normal as possible. And your attire now," He scanned over her normal ninja clothing, "just screams ninja."

Sakura nodded her head. "Yeah I do." There was a long pause and no moved, nor said anything. There were five sets of eyes on Sakura, who seemed to be oblivious to them all.

"Uh, that means that you can change into them. Now." Kakashi said, sighing at his teammate's massive air head. She really could space out at times.

"Here? In the woods? Damnit that's the highlight of my day." She growled and looked around for a secure spot. There was a jumble of bushes a good distance behind the group and she dashed off. "You all stay there. Don't even think of coming over here." She growled.

Luckily, her teammates held enough respect to not intrude on her as she changed. She almost felt unsure of herself as she walked back out to meet them. She felt like one of those school girls she saw up on the bleachers earlier in the stadium. She had on a black skirt that just above her knee and a deep blue tank-top. She walked up to them nervously and wandered why she chose to bring this as her street clothing choice. She should have brought her jeans and a normal shirt.

"You do have…interesting taste." The silver haired man stated. He wouldn't have pictured her in this type of clothing. Although after seeing her in just a sports bra and shorts this morning, he should stop assuming things about the girl.

Sakura blushed at the comment. "Sorry, I kind of randomly grabbed some things out of my dresser. I didn't think I would actually need to wear my street clothes." She argued back. "Anyways, what am I going to do though? Am I staying with you guys or not?"

Kakashi shook his head and pointed down at the hound who had his nose stuck up in the air, trying to pick up Akito's scent. "You'll be going in with Pakuun. The two of you will enter the village first, and we'll follow along afterwards." He explained. "Tsunade-sama already explained everything to me. Since we're staying at a motel tonight, Sakura you'll get your own room separate from ours."

The look of delight crossed the girls face. A whole room just to herself. Utter bliss. "The building we're staying at is not far from the village entrance. Take the first street on the right side and it's the third building on the left side." Kakashi said. "Pakuun, do you remember going there with me before?"

Ears perked up at the sound of his name, Pakuun nodded. "Course I do."

"Then you make sure Sakura get's there. They're one of the only places that actually allows pets." He said. "Once we're all settled in I'll explain the rest. I shouldn't go on out here in the open."

The group nodded and continued down the pathway. It wasn't long before the mist village came into view. "Sakura you go on ahead. We'll catch up later." Kakashi said. "And keep your chakra levels masked." He reminded her. She nodded and looked down at the pup at her side.

"Let's go Pakuun." She said and walked forward.

**. - .**

"Your room is number 23 on the second floor. It's the second to last door at the end of the hall." The deep, green haired girl said with a cheery smile. Sakura nodded and took the key off of the countertop.

"Arigato-gozaimasu." She responded and motioned for the pup at her heels to follow her. The two went up a flight of stairs to the second landing of the hotel. The blinding white walls stretched down a ways and the deep oak doors lined either side of the hall. Bronze numbers hung on each door. She found hers, second from the last with a chipped 23.

Inserting the key, she opened the door and studied her new place. It was simple, like almost every room she's been in. Fairly large bed, small bedside table, and a table up against the wall. There was a door that led into a small bathroom.

It was nothing extravagant, not that she was expecting it to be, but to have the place to herself would be nice. Though she might feel slightly lonely being that she been sharing her bed with Sasuke for the past month.

Shrugging, she decided not to dwell on the matter and set her bags down. Pakuun jumped up onto the bed and scratched the back of his ear. "Now we wait." Sakura said. She hoped that the others would take too long.

The medic had been mindlessly looking around the room for what seemed like twenty minutes when she heard familiar voices. One person was laughing. "Haha, brothers, that's funny."

She could definitely tell that that was her hyperactive teammate. She could see the goofy grin plastered on his face at this very moment. She smiled to herself.

"Shut it moron. Kakashi, you couldn't think of something better?"

That was her brooding boyfriend. What were they talking about anyways?

"Sorry, it just came out like that. Ah, here we are. Number 24."

Well that was convenient. They were located right next to her. Sakura sprung up off the bed and made her way to the door. She popped her pink head out and watched as the younger three waited impatiently for their team leader to open the door.

"Ahem." She made her presence known.

"Sakura-chan! Your room is next you ours? Sweet! That's awesome!" Naruto went on. Sakura and Pakuun stepped out of the room and joined the group. Kakashi was finally successful in opening the door

They had a room for two, with two large beds and the same things Sakura's room had. "Why would they have a one person room next to a two person room?" Sakura questioned as she walked in behind her team.

"Let's not question the coincidental." Kakashi said with a hidden smile. He set his bag down on one of the beds and took a seat, hunched over slightly as his elbows rested on his knees. "Now, I want to explain things quickly before I head out." His voice went low as he transitioned into his serious side.

The other four settled down, all of them on other, spacey bed. "If we're able to locate Akito and get a confirmation on his location for tonight, then we'll follow the plans tonight. If not, we'll trail after him and do it tomorrow. I'm going to go out with Pakuun and see what we can find."

The assembly before him nodded. He stood and motioned for the hound to go with him. "Do you still have any sign oh his scent Pakuun?" Kakashi asked his small friend.

"Affirmative. He's somewhere in the village." The dog responded as it stuck it's small nose in the air once more. He sniffed a few times.

"Alright. You four stay inside for now. I'll return later." He said and walked towards the door. "Just try not to get in trouble, or get us kicked out."

The door shut behind the jounin which almost seemed like a sigh of relief for the others. Sakura fell back onto the bed and Sasuke immediately moved his things over to the other bed, not wanting to share with Naruto or Sai.

"What were you guys going on about when you were coming up here anyways?" the female asked as she inattentively played with a strand of hair. Naruto chuckled as he approached her and laid down on the other side of her, hugging the pillow to him.

"The secretary lady asked if Teme and the Idiot were related because they looked so much alike." He burst out again, not able to control his laughter. Sakura giggled beside him, glancing between Sai's blank face and Sasuke's evil scowl. Neither of them were amused, one because he just simply wasn't, and the other because he didn't know how or why he should be.

"And Kakashi told her they were brothers." Naruto finished between bouts of air. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he buried his face in the pillow, willing himself to calm down.

"Oh that's priceless." Sakura commented with a smirk. Sasuke sent her a weak glare which didn't phase her one bit. Her giggles declined as she sank back into the soft pillow behind her. The bed shifted as Sai took a seat on the edge. "What do we do now?" the girl asked her male teammates. They gave her their attention as she continued on, "We don't know how long Kakashi's going to take."

The others shrugged, not knowing how to answer.

**0.o (.) o.0**

"How have you been dealing Naruto?" Sakura asked out of both boredom and inquisitiveness. The four hadn't moved around much for the past half-hour since Kakashi had left besides Sakura who had joined Sasuke on his own bed. She rolled over onto her side and looked at the blonde through soft jade orbs full of concern for his welfare. She just wanted him to be alright after having his girlfriend taken away from him.

"I'm getting by." He said in a light, almost empty tone. He obviously wasn't expecting this subject to spring up, but he wasn't unwilling to talk. It was bad if he kept these things to himself.

She wasn't fully satisfied, but Sakura let it go. She didn't want to push him too much. He would talk to her more fully when he was ready to.

"What about you?" Naruto asked. She looked up fleetly.

"We already went over this." She argued back.

Naruto's bi-polar mode shifted on as he sat up and shook the bed, much to a disgruntled Sai, who had just messed up his picture by the action. Naruto seemed to not notice. "Oh come on, spill. It's been awhile since your relationship with Kiba. You can't tell me that you don't like _someone_." He said exaggeratingly. Sakura sat up with a flushed face, her eyes dazzling.

"None of your business if I like someone. Why does it matter?" She caught herself after she asked the horrid question. It would only provoke more interrogation from the blue eyed boy.

"Well," he started, "being it's you, I would expect you to have a boyfriend." He pronounced.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" she demanded hotly. On her other side, Sasuke appeared as though he didn't care, but in reality he was listening closely. "Are you calling me some kind of slut? That I should be sleeping around with a lot of guys?"

"No, no, no!" he replied swiftly. "Not at all! No, I mean that you're so beautiful, and intelligent, and you're a kick ass medic and everything. Not to mention the best kunoichi I know." He covered truthfully. What he said was the honest truth, and Naruto couldn't understand why his friend was loveless. It didn't make sense at all. She was everything any guy could want (in his opinion) and he knew she would like to have someone by her side.

"Naruto, not all girls are lucky alright. I'm just one of them." Sakura said, her voice rising. Sai had even stopped his drawing to witness the conversation that was going on. Sasuke was getting terribly irritated by the Dobe's questions and was withstanding the urge to beat him.

"I'm just saying that you have everything, and I don't get why you don't have a man. Or do you not want one?" he asked, his gaze boring right into her. She felt suddenly uncomfortable under his intense look and shrunk down into the bed.

"Of course I do. Really why are you so concerned?" she asked.

Naruto shrugged and rolled over onto his stomach. "I just care about you I guess. I don't want to see you get down if you see so many other couples around you and you're alone." He paused for a brief moment. "I want the best for you. So if finding someone suitable for you will help, I'll do it. But they have to be approved of me first." He said. His thumb and index finger went to his chin as he began to think. "I know for a fact that Bushy Brows still likes you. And he may not the best looking guy; I know he wouldn't try anything suspicious with you or anything. And we wouldn't have to worry about him snapping and raping you one night."

Sakura let out a small yelp and a strangled noise came from Sasuke, who in turn fell of the bed in a non cool manor. He rapidly was back on his feet and smoothed his hair back acting all unruffled. "No." he said in a low voice. He looked thoroughly pissed off.

"I don't think it's in your best interest to decide for her. Sakura-chan is a grown woman and can decide for herself. Besides she's older than you." Naruto countered as he sneered at the dark haired man.

Behind them all the door opened and Kakashi entered with Pakuun at his side. The boys were oblivious to him as their attacks continued.

"She's older than you too dim-wit. And besides, she already with someone." Sasuke retorted smugly. His cold eyes glared down at Naruto. Lee for God sakes. That was the stupidest thing he had ever heard.

Naruto's eyes shifted for a moment to the cowering girl who looked as though she wanted to run from the room. Naruto looked hurt because she never told him.

Sakura really did want to run too. Her stomach was in knots as she listened to the words being exchanged. What was Sasuke doing that baka! He wasn't going to tell them was he? Did he not see Kakashi standing over there? The man would be pissed. Not to mention the blonde, who would most likely try to wring Sasuke's neck. He wouldn't tell them the truth would he? She wasn't ready to let her teammates know. And this mission was too important for a pity fact such as who she was dating ruin it all.

"Who then? Who is she dating? Who Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked in despondent confusion.

Sakura opened her mouth then shut it quickly. If Sasuke knew what was good for them all he would set his pride aside and let it all go.

"Me."

Fucking bastard. Couldn't let it go. Pride really was a tragic thing. Made people stupid, that's what it did. Damn pride always got in the way of common sense. And Sakura didn't know if Sasuke just wanted to tell them all that he got the girl of the team, or rub it in Naruto's face that he got Sakura before the blonde ever did. Naruto had feelings for her in the past, but she never returned them. And was Sasuke being that much of an asshole? She was too afraid to look up at anyone. She felt almost ashamed to have hidden something like this from what has become her family. Naruto and Sai, her protective older brothers looked completely astonished, (Naruto at least. Sai looked as surprised as an emotionless person could handle). And Kakashi. Kakashi looked blank. He already knew of her pregnancy. He hadn't known of this, nor had he had any hint of this affair. It was a shock to him as well since he hadn't known of any feelings the two had possessed for each other. No. He knew Sakura still had feelings for Sasuke. Bu he hadn't thought, and still didn't think that Sasuke possessed feeling for Sakura.

"Sakura, you have something…nice to wear tonight?" the girl nodded slowly, her eyes wide. "Good. We're going out tonight. The mission is on so make sure you have proper tools hidden with you." He said in a grim voice. Sakura was scared to death of that voice. "It seems our man is going to be at a local bar tonight. He's been there every night picking up woman, so there is a very good chance that he will be there tonight."

Without haste, Sakura stood up off the bed. "I'll get ready then." She said hurriedly and walked past Kakashi who didn't even give her a passing glance. She wrenched the door open and walked out. The second the door was closed the heard the loud shouts of Naruto directed at Sasuke who remained silent. So like him. Say something but refuse to explain.

There was a faint, _"Stop it Naruto." _From Kakashi. The tone made it audible that he wasn't happy. Why should he be? But then again why shouldn't he? It's not like they all had control of her and could tell her who and who not to date. Though she knew they just had her best interests at heart, she couldn't help but think they were treating her like a little girl. Instructing her on things and scolding her if she did something wrong. It really was tiring.

With a heavy heart, the girl walked back to her own room and grabbed her things so she could shower.

The door to Sakura's room opened and Sasuke peered in. The bathroom door was open to air out the steam and Sakura finishing with blow-drying her hair. The raven haired man stood in the door frame and Sakura saw him through the mirror on the wall. She shut the blow dryer off looked at him though the mirror.

"Can I help you?" She practically spat. He remained stoic as he wondered what he did wrong.

"Did I upset you?" he asked.

Sakura rolled her eyes and ran a brush through her hair. She straightened the dry locks of pink hair and flipped it back over her shoulder. A pair of arms encircled her waist and she looked down at the hands, then back up in the mirror to see Sasuke looking back over her shoulder.

"I like your hair longer."

Sakura felt an indescribable flash of anger rise through her veins. "What's with the sweet talk? Hoping I'm going to forgive you so easily and be all cheery with you again?"

"…"

"Hmph. That's what I thought." She pulled away from him as she looked down at her cosmetic supplies. She had always had make-up, but for reasons she couldn't explain. She never thought she needed it and most of the time she went without it. She couldn't wake up and apply it every day like Ino. It just didn't fit with her. Sometimes, if she wanted to feel extra special she would but on some eye shadow and lip gloss, but that's as far as it went. Luckily Ino had showed her how to apply everything.

So, reaching for some eye shadow, she already waited for the moment she returned to the motel and remove the offensive stuff. She didn't want to feel extra special tonight. She didn't want to attract another guy's attention. Apart from the one behind her that she was supposed to be mad at.

"Why are you putting that on?" Sasuke asked as he observed the girl putting the make-up on. She used delicate strokes as she rubbed it onto her eye lid.

"I'm trying to get Akito's attention aren't I?" she said.

Sasuke hopped up and sat on the free counter space. "Obviously. But why do you need it?"

Sakura sweat dropped. "You certainly haven't seduced a man before." She said sarcastically and reached for her mascara. There was a drawn out pause that was abruptly broken.

"Just take care of yourself." Sasuke said quietly. Sakura stopped what she was doing and looked up.

"What?"

It took a bit for Sasuke to answer. "Don't let him do anything to you. Take care of yourself."

The girl was astonished by his words and didn't know if she should believe them or not. "You really mean that? You really care for me huh?" she said with a small smile.

Sasuke hopped down from the counter. "I guess." He answered mindlessly. Leaning down, Sasuke gave her a quick kiss of assurance and exited the room.

The smile that had appeared on Sakura's face had been long gone as she fell back into the wall behind her. She looked miserably at herself in the mirror before her, and wanted nothing more than to destroy it. What kind of answer was that? 'I guess.' Utter bullcrap in her opinion. And that kiss. It was empty. There wasn't any spark, she didn't feel anything. It was nothing.

What was she doing with her life? What was she going to do? She was carrying his child. She didn't want to leave him. She didn't want to see him with someone else while his kid went on living with only one parent. Sakura wasn't even confident that she would be allowed to raise it. What if Sasuke just took it from her? What then?

The thought hurt her. She didn't want to think of the future. Her hand had subconsciously landed on her stomach. She wouldn't let that happen. And the easiest way? Avoid the pain of loosing who she loved, and enduring the empty affection Sasuke gave her. It was still early in the relationship, so maybe things would get better.

Maybe, hopefully. Things would get better soon. They always said things had to get worse before they could get better.

**I would write more, but I want to get this chapter up and I'm tired of typing for the moment. The mission will be in the next chapter! Thank you all for supporting me this far! I hope you all continue to review and love my stories! **


	26. The Mission

**I just can't believe how popular this is. I never knew I was such a good writer . It makes me so happy! I'm so happy you are all enjoying this. I just hope you don't hate me later in the story. Not now, but later. **

**My disclaimer will never change. **

Sakura tugged at the hem of the black dress and looked at her self unsettlingly one last time. The dress fit her snuggly, prefect for showing off what figure she had. Her hair was nice and straight. Her make-up was as close to perfect as she could get it. Overall, she looked conspicuously pretty. Not beautiful, she thought as she looked herself over. She had never thought herself beautiful, but a simple pretty. A unique pretty many would say with her dazzling eyes and peerless hair. Something many people couldn't say they were. Eh, it was something to be thankful for.

She stepped out of the bathroom and made sure she could walk properly in her heels. How she loathed the things. What did they do anyways? Make you taller and 'accentuate' your legs? Psh, big deal. They were a pain in the ass to walk in and she avoided them at all costs. Even the ninja heels that Tsunade, Shizune, and Hinata wore. There was just no way she could do it. She would fall most of the time. And she didn't even want to go into tree-hoping.

Sakura touched her leg to make sure her hidden kunai was secure. All set there. She had another one on the other leg as well. She had plenty of hidden tricks with her. Tsunade had trained her well in hiding weapons. She had her two kunai. She bore clip on earrings (since her ears weren't pierced) that held a pepper spray within them. Her hair pins (two delicate sakura flowers) could be pulled out and transmitted into poison senbon with one touch. In the bottom of her heels were small smoke bombs in case she needed a quick escape. Sakura peered down the top of her dress and noticed that the paralysis charms were still there. She would have to be careful of them. There was also a small bottle of a tasteless, colorless, powder that she had developed herself. Another poison. Not one that killed, but one that gave the same affect as a large amount of alcohol. It was really just more of a drug than a poison. She planned on slipping some of that in Akito's drink before she lured him away from the bar.

Next to the kunai on her right leg was a capped syringe. It was filled with lavender liquid. Another poison that would quickly kill the man. She just had to be quick with her actions and everything would run smoothly. He would be dead within a matter of seconds and she would be free to steal the scrolls and flee without anyone knowing a thing. And lastly, her final weapon. She glanced down at her now dry, scarlet nails. A special nail polish that Tsunade had developed for all shinobi. The polish held very special toxins that, if they came in contact with an open wound regardless if the nail polish was dry or not, it would release a very harmful poison that could kill a person in minutes without the appropriate antidote. It was just something that had to be handled carefully. The Godaime was very proud of her new product and it was a big hit with the ninja. It came in shades of red, black, blue, and green. More colors were being developed.

Deciding she was all set, Sakura locked up her room and walked over to her teammate's room next door. She didn't even bother knocking and barged right in as if she owned the place.

"Whoa. It would be nice if you knocked." Naruto announced. He stood in only his boxers, about to pull his cargo pants on. Sai was beginning to button up his shirt (giving her a very nice view of his abs) and Sasuke was already dressed in a deep blue button up shirt and nice street pants. (A.K.A Jeans.)

"Nothing I haven't seen." She mumbled neglectfully and continued in. She sat on the edge of the closest bed (which happened to be Kakashi and Sasuke's) and continued to pull at the dress. The thing fit her nicely, but she wasn't used to wearing tight clothes at all. She always wore something nice and loose aside from her undershirt and tank-tops. She felt eyes bore into her and became conscious of the looks she was receiving.

"What?" she snapped and gave each of them a glare. Naruto settled for his silly grin and answered for all of them.

"It's just different Sakura-chan. A good different, to see you in something nice. Instead of ninja clothes." He told her. Her look softened at his words. "And you do look beautiful." He added in all honesty.

Fighting back a blush, she bowed her head. "Where's Kakashi?" she asked quietly.

"He went out quick." Sai informed her. He finished the last button on his shirt and tugged on it to pull it straight. The deep black was just his choice of color and stood out drastically against his near white skin.

"He wanted to make sure this guy is at the right place." Sasuke completed. He looked awfully bored lying back on the bed. He must have wanted to do some actual fighting on this mission. Tsunade must have known that there was a good chance that he wouldn't see too much action. She was the lucky one. Although she didn't consider herself to be at all.

The door opened and in stepped their team leader. If Sakura didn't know the man like she did today, it wouldn't seem like him at all. Him, Kakashi, wearing a normal white t-shirt and normal pants. No bandages, no gloves, no hitai-ate. He still bore the mask, but that was him. The mask was Kakashi. The new getup made the man look years younger. His messy silver hair fell over and framed his face from lack of something to hold it in place. His headband usually did that. It was just completely different.

"You people have no consideration to knock huh?" Naruto asked, now only half naked and pulling on a bright red shirt. For his own amusement the older man went back and knocked on the door, much to an annoyed Naruto. He only smiled and continued in the room, taking a seat by Sakura.

"My, my doesn't someone look lovely." He commented. The kunoichi cheeks tinged red.

"I should be saying that to you. It's weird seeing you in…non ratty clothes." She said. Kakashi placed a hand over his heart in dramatic affect.

"Your words hurt me. Ratty clothes?" he questioned.

"Yes." The girl replied with an air of sternness. "Why don't you buy new clothes anyways? Instead of wearing the same thing over and over?"

Kakashi thought for a moment then shrugged his shoulders. With his eyes closed he answered absently, "As long as they stay on and function right my clothes are just fine. I don't need to waste money on new ones just so I can destroy them."

Sakura 'tsked'. "You have plenty of money I'm sure. Since you get paid enough, I've seen some of your checks, and you always coaxed Genma into buying groceries. Are you still doing that?"

Kakashi didn't reply and Sakura assumed that it was true. "If you are all ready then we should get going." He started. "Sakura, if I could make a suggestion." He said. The girl looked up at him with curious eyes. "Would you be able to use a genjutsu on yourself? Just for the night?" he propounded.

"I could. Why?" she retorted.

"Well, if you are able to lure Akito in, then I assume he's going to take you back to the place he's staying. If he disappears the next day, and people saw you with him, they will report your description to the police. And since Akito is one hot-shot guy, there may be searches in every country for suspects. If people see you with him…well you kind of stick out if you know what I mean."

He meant her hair. The bright, bubble gum pink. She stuck out in a crowd like Naruto in a mud pit. He was right. She could hold a genjutsu for one night. She knew how to preserve and stabilize her chakra well. "Alright." She agreed. She thought of an image in her head and closed her eyes. After a quick performance of hand seals, her body began to transform itself into what she wanted.

Her pink hair darkened to a caramel brown and grew longer. It stopped as it reached her lower back. Her face morphed as her cheek bones grew more into shape and formed out, giving her face perfect angles. Her nose seemed to shrink slightly and her lips plumped up more. She even converted her skin color to give herself a nice even tan, instead of her milky, pale skin.

She finished her jutsu and opened her eyes. They were no longer striking emerald, but a tender shade of dark rose. They were a very soft colored red.

"Is this alright?" she asked, having no mirror to check herself. Naruto was on the verge of falling over. His friend was just too amazing. Transforming from one beautiful girl, into another beautiful girl. He only had three alterations on his sexy jutsu. It was a wonder how many Sakura could come up with.

"Perfect." Kakashi assured her. "We really should get going, before he picks up another girl." The rest nodded and headed for the door. Sakura was about to move forward, but Kakashi took hold of her wrist and waited for the others to pass first.

Kakashi leaned down by Sakura. "I want to warn you." He said. "Don't be surprised if Akito does something before you get to his place. If he gets flirty, just go along with it. I don't care what you may be feeling at that moment. Just go along with him or you may blow your whole cover. Don't let your emotions get in the way of this mission. It's too important." Sakura looked almost unsure as he said "does something" but nodded anyways. Kakashi didn't look at all happy with what he said, but what had to be done, had to be done.

"R-right." She said. Sakura knew she had to be strong and confident. This whole mission depended on her. And she could do this. It shouldn't be too hard. Not at all. She was a strong kunoichi. She took down one of the Akatsuki! With help from Chiyo-baa-sama. But she played a major role in Sasori's destruction. This would be easy for her.

"Good. Let's go." Kakashi said and guided her out of the room.

**0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 **

Sakura never was a seducer. She was always the seduced. She could easily fall for a guy's charm, but most of the time she would pull herself together and notice that he was just a lowlife that she had to stay away from at all costs. So it was only natural that she had a hard time forcing herself to advance over to Akito who was smiling and talking to another girl some four seats away from her. The seat next to him was vacant. All she had to do was pop in and force his attention away right? And just make it sound like she was interested in a little fun for one night and nothing more.

The four men that made up her team watched from two different tables. Naruto and Kakashi sat at one table at the far end of the bar. Naruto had insisted that they buy something to drink so they don't look too suspicious and was happily guzzling down the vodka while avoiding the menacing looks from Kakashi who wasn't drinking at all.

"If you get drunk while we're here you know I'll note it on the mission report?"

It had been five minutes later and Naruto hadn't touched his glass at all.

At the other end of the bar, Sai and Sasuke sat in near silence. The two didn't talk to each other, but were instead turning down the large sum of girls that kept on approaching them, asking the boys to join them. Sai looked totally blank as he flat out refused and Sasuke glared at each and every one of them, warning them to back off and stay away.

"What is she doing?" Naruto asked into the headset Kakashi had handed out to them. The bar was building up with customers and it made more sense if they had an easy way to communicate. The headsets they had were completely invisible to the eye. In the past years Konoha had developed better technology and had wireless earpieces and microphones that could be easily hidden and were small, so they couldn't be seen easily. All you had to do was hit the small button on the equally small microphone and bada bing! Your teammates would all hear you.

"Not much obviously." Sasuke answered as he watched the brunette sit and stare nervously towards Akito. She had to move over there and put on some moves if this mission was to be a success. And if she wasn't even near him, then it wouldn't work.

"Sasuke get over there and tell her to get over to Akito. But don't make it look so obvious." Kakashi instructed. Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh and stood up abruptly from the table. He approached the rose eyed girl and touched her shoulder, causing her to gasp and turn sharply.

"Oh, it's you." She whispered and looked relieved.

Sasuke's arm gently wrapped around her waist. "Just play long. What are you doing? You're supposed to be over there." He said. They were just lucky that there were so many people there and that the music was loud enough that people couldn't hear them. Sasuke leaned in towards her, their faces only centimeters apart.

"I know." She whispered back. She added on a slight smirk to play along with his act that she though she got. He was a terribly good actor. Not so great with the real thing. "I just can't think of how to approach him." She admitted.

The dark haired boy smoothed back her bangs and matched her smirk. "Just be blunt. Send that other chick away and do your job." He said. He really didn't like what he was telling her. He was primarily telling his girlfriend to go flirt with another guy. Yeah that sounded right.

Sakura in return, rolled her eyes in an attempt to tell him it wasn't that easy. But she knew he wouldn't listen. So instead she nodded.

"Sasuke you do realize that Akito might think she's your woman now?" Kakashi voice rang. Sasuke scowled. "I know." He said without hitting the button.

"What'd he say?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing. Wait a little bit, then go over to him. And don't let him do anything to you." Sasuke said and turned away quickly, returning to the table to see three girls surrounding a very perplexed Sai. The poor artist looked uncomfortable and Sasuke pushed through to sit down.

"Oh is he a friend of yours?" One girl asked as she winked at Sasuke who sneered at her.

"I'm taken and he's not interested so beat it." He hissed. The girls looked offended, and took their leave. Someone has a stick shoved up a very unpleasant place. Oh well, they could try for that cute blonde and his silver haired friend. They looked cute.

Sasuke looked up in time to see the long curtain of chocolate locks swish around as Sakura advanced over to Akito. She wobbled only slightly on her heels and made it to the stool next to the dark red haired man.

When she was next to him, Sakura now had a good chance to observe him. His hair fell down in a sheet of deep scarlet that covered his forehead and the tops of his eyes. His face was perfectly shaped from his jaw line right down to his nose. His body seemed to well taken care of as well. His muscle practically jumped out of his white button up shirt (the tops few buttons were undone of course). And his eyes. The dazzling mixture of midnight blue and deep indigo were a chick magnet by themselves.

Sakura leaned up into the bar table and gave a little cough, but paid no mind when Akito stopped talking to the blonde girl and looked at her. A lecherous smile formed on his lips and he dismissed the other girl with a quick flip of his wrist. The other girl looked affronted and left without hesitation.

"Hm she's good." Kakashi said over the headpiece. He watched her as Akito began to introduce himself. Sakura put on a seductive, yet cutely innocent smile and gently placed her chin on her closed fist. "A natural really."

Naruto, who had settled with taking small occasional sips of his drink, nodded his head. "That's our Sakura-chan. Best kunoichi ever." He smiled in her direction and watched as she carried on the conversation.

"Well. I don't think I've seen you here before." Akito said in a flirty tone. Sakura fought down the urge to roll her eyes and instead batted her eyelashes a few times.

"Mm." she hummed. "No I'm a newcomer. Just a traveler." She said in an equally flirtatious tone and twirled her hair. Flirty girls did that right? She hoped so. Actually she just hoped she looked cute and not bored.

"Really. Where are you coming in from?" he asked and leaned in towards her. Lifting his glass of unrecognizable alcohol to his lips he took a large drink. Sakura then thought that she may not have to use her powder after all.

'_Think quickly.' _ She told herself. "Oh, it's just a small village in Fire country. It's nothing huge or anything. I'm just a small town girl." She said. Sakura leaned back in her seat a bit. "I was really just looking for a good time tonight."

Blue eyes now were sparked with interest. "I could help you." He took another drink. "I was looking for the same thing." Sakura tried her hardest to make herself look interested as she placed a seductive smirk on her face.

On the outside she looked like any other woman that was trying to seduce a man. Flirty, calm, alluring, and ready for anything. But on the inside she was desperately holding herself together and fighting off twitch after twitch. Her stomach was twisting and lurching at the sight of the man. Even if he was good looking, just the thought of what he had to so many girls just put her off and made her want to either run away or beat the living hell out of him. Her hair on the back on her neck was standing on end as its own natural warning that this guy was a danger. But this was her mission. She was strong and she could do this.

"Convenient." It was the only thing she could think to say. The whole thing seemed rushed. He didn't even ask for her name. Was that how one night stands were these days? You don't even bother to know the person. It reminded her of take out food. Pick up and go. The easier it was to get the better. Sick in her opinion.

"I have a place not far from here." He said. Sakura leaned back a bit more. She wanted to rush back over to her old seat. That or kill this guy right now, hope no one saw, steal the scrolls and take off. That would be awesome. But she wasn't that lucky.

She simply nodded. "We should have a few drinks first." She negotiated. She wanted a chance to get the drug in his drink before they left. That way she would feel just a tad safer. Kakashi hadn't said if he was a ninja or not and if he was, she didn't know what skill level he possessed. She was an exquisite ninja, but there were people out there that were better than her. And she wanted to get the job done without the aid of her teammates.

"Alright then. Hey buddy, can I get something for my little lady." Akito said. He turned around, fully away from Sakura and stood up to go grab her a drink. His drink sat right in front of her. She thanked all gods for her luck and hunched over as she reached down the dress she retrieved the small bottle of powder.

"She just got a golden opportunity." Naruto commented. "Is she taking her chance Sasuke?" Naruto asked, not having a clear view of what the girl was doing.

Sasuke was stiff in his seat, not liking what he had been witnessing. He replied with a short, rigid, "Aa." He glared in Akito's direction and clenched his own drink tightly in his fist. He watched as Sakura pulled the bottle and sneakily poured a liberal amount in the drink. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed Akito turn and advance back. She stuffed the empty bottle back down her dress and smiled sweetly.

"Thanks." She applauded and took the drink. She brought it straight to her lips, but didn't allow the contents to enter her mouth. She wasn't going to drink. Sakura wasn't one to drink on a mission in the first place. And she didn't exactly have good memories, or any memories really of the last time she had drank.

Sakura's pale red eyes focused on Akito, waiting for him to take a drink from his cup. But he never did. He smiled as he looked her over with his tainted eyes. She could tell he just wanted to get her out of this place. She just wanted him to drink from his damn cup. But as the kunoichi observed him more, she noticed he wasn't perfectly steady on his stool. He swayed only very slightly. Maybe he was already feeling the affects of the drinks he's already had? Possibly. It all depended on how many he had.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself?" Akito said, much to Sakura's surprise. Did a man, this man no less, just say he wanted to get to know her? That was a huge shock. "What your name cutie?" he asked.

Sakura wanted to scowl at the nickname, but at the same time continued to smile as she forged a plan in her head. Names…names….just one name Sakura. One name. "Shira." She blurted out. Oh yeah, that was genius. She just named herself after her cat. Real clever Sakura. Man, a monkey could have done better. Hell, Naruto could have done better. Sai even.

"Cute. But doesn't that mean white? And…I don't see a trace of white on you." He said, noting her dark skin and hair. His brows were scrunched up in confusion.

Sakura giggled nervously and shrugged her slender shoulders. "Oh my mother really was a goofball. She loved names that didn't make sense at all." She covered horribly. That made less sense than the name, but hopefully he would buy it.

"Yeah parents could be like that." Akito picked the glass and brought it to his lips. Right before it touched his lips he stopped when he noticed Sakura looked away and at the bartender instead in a quick motion. That was odd. Oh well, strange girl.

Setting the glass back down he wiped his lips and smiled an almost dazed expression on his face. His hand stretched out and rested it on Sakura's knee, much to her discomfort. But she couldn't move it. Like Kakashi said, she had to play along and just act with him. One false move and this would all be over.

Back with Sasuke and Sai, the boys watched as Akito began to get touchier with Sakura. Sai was more mystified than ever because he had a strange sensation come over him. Something he had never felt before. It was like a hot flash of rage, but he didn't know that. He didn't know what it was like to be angry or protective. It was all new to him, and personally he didn't like it.

Sasuke on the other hand didn't like what he was seeing at all. His cheeks burned with anger. That man was touching his woman. Sakura was no one else's to touch. But he had to control himself. This is what the mission called for. He should have expected something like this to happen. He just didn't think it would happen before his eyes. He wanted to rip that man apart. It wasn't jealousy he was feeling. It was a wild possessiveness and need to keep Sakura all to himself.

"Your bleeding." Came the blunt voice of Sai who was looking over Sasuke's hand. Sure enough as Sasuke looked down he too noticed that his hand was dripping with his own crimson blood. The cup in his hand had been crushed by himself unknowingly though his fit of anger. He glared down at the wound and leg go of the shattered glass pieces, and brought his hand closer. There didn't seem to be any glass pieces deeply embedded in his hand.

Looking up, the raven haired avenger noticed one thing that really made his blood boil. Akito was leaning right up against the disguised Sakura, whispering things into her. Sakura in returned giggled, whether it was her bit of acting or not, Sasuke wasn't impressed. Akito's hand was running along Sakura's leg, running up and down her smooth shins and back over her calves. Oh what he would give to break that hand right now.

Sasuke stood from his seat slowly, and picked up the broken pieces of glass. He advanced up to the bar, ignoring the questions and commands being spilt out by Kakashi over the radio in his ear. He growled and shut the head piece off. He leaned against the table, right next to where Akito was sitting and waited for the bartender to attend to him. Sasuke took a few napkins from a nearby dispenser and dapped up his dripping blood and wrapped his hand.

"What can I get for ya?" the older man asked. He stood tall behind the bar and waited for an answer.

"I kind of had an accident." Sasuke said and motioned from his injured hand to the cup. "Mind if I get a new round? Just some straight whiskey."

The bartender nodded and turned off to fetch the order. Sasuke stood there, his head lowered between his arms so he could look at the pair next to him without being caught. He heard Sakura's fake giggles and mumbles from Akito. Man he wanted to tear that man apart. It was strange because he was usually a calm and collected guy. And now he was having a fit because of a mission? Pathetic really. It was damaging the affect the girl had to him. And Sasuke was certain he didn't have feelings for her.

The boy was able to hear a few words here and there and he disliked most of them. His stomach burned with pure hatred.

"One kiss? Before we leave?" Akito said.

He heard that clearly and it didn't seem like Sakura was given much of a choice before the red head swooped in a captured her unsteady lips in a messy kiss. Sakura nearly fell off the back of her stool and wanted nothing more but for her to drop dead at the moment. Sasuke had to be standing behind them because? Aw damn. This whole thing was just a disaster. She should have refused the mission. Then she wouldn't be caught in this mess.

Akito's lips moved against hers. She felt sick to her stomach all of a sudden. She didn't respond. When he moved in closer, she knew he wanted her to do something in return. "_I don't care what you may be feeling at that moment. Just go along with him or you may blow your whole cover."_ Kakashi's words ran through her head. She began to kiss back, very slowly and not much at all. She wanted nothing to do with this man at all.

Sakura couldn't take it then. She pulled away and stopped herself from wiping her lips on the back of her hand. She was disgusted and freaked out. She prayed she wouldn't have to do that again. "I think we should head out." She said breathlessly, trying to lure him away. She wanted this man dead. Just get it over with. She would just kill him quickly and everything would be settled. With any luck at least.

"Eager now huh?" Akito asked with a defiant smirk. He wouldn't wait if she didn't want to, that was for sure.

"Something like that." Sakura mumbled quietly and stood up. Akito did too, and the moment he stepped away from the stool he tripped over something. Looking down he noticed a foot. Sasuke's foot.

"What the hell?" he asked annoyed.

Sasuke turned and raised an eyebrow. "What?" he bit out venomously. The two glared at each other, seemingly ready for a good fist fight. Their heated glares seemed to be equally matched, both cold and filled with emptiness.

"Fucking prick." Akito grumbled in Sasuke's direction. He turned and took hold of Sakura's arm. "Let's go sweets." He said and pulled away and out of the bar.

The three other teammates surrounded Sasuke then. "We'll follow them in a minute. We're going to stay in a close proximity to her, but not too close to raise an alarm." Kakashi said. He then turned to Sasuke. "And get over yourself. If you pull any more stunts like that you can kiss you mission privileges goodbye." He threatened.

Sasuke shook his head and glared around the room. He was pissed at this feeling he was having. No it wasn't jealousy. It was possession. It was anger. It was hatred. All because she was with someone else. It was hatred for that other man. He wanted to rip him apart for touching her like that. Sakura was his. No one else's. If his plans were too run smoothly, she was needed. And she was his girlfriend. **His** girlfriend.

"Let's go." Kakashi said and lead the others out of the now crowded bar.

**0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0**

The door swung open to reveal a small, bare room. There wasn't anything more than what Sakura had in her motel room. Akito held the door open and motioned for her to enter before him. She walked in and he staggered behind her, wobbling on his feet slightly.

Sakura remained on guard, ready for whatever was coming and waited for Akito to make the first move. She wanted him to initiate the whole thing, just to make it easier on herself. Once he made a stupid move, it would be all over for him and she would be free to hunt for the scrolls and take off. She let her guard drop what seemed like a fraction of an inch as she turned around quickly and touched her thigh. She made sure that the syringe was in place and ready for use. But that was her greatest mistake.

The next moment she was roughly pushed back and slammed into the back wall, being pinned there by her throat. She gasped out loud. The wind was forced from her lungs and she began to choke for oxygen. Akito leered up at her.

"Thought you could pull one over on me huh?" he said menacingly as she tightened his hold around her neck. He pushed her further up the wall. Sakura wasn't able to respond. "I know you were assigned to come after me." He said.

His assumptions were then proven correct when Sakura's genjutsu began to fall and his triumphant look only grew. Her hair transformed back to its slightly shorter and lighter self. Her face morphed back into her normal face and her skin began to lighten terribly. It was all over for her now.

"That's what I thought." He said in a smug tone. His grip didn't loosen but it was at the point where Sakura could breathe. She was trying to formulate a plan in her mind, and cursed herself for not having brains like Shikamaru. His quick thinking could sure come in handy right now. Or her teammates. One or the other. Where were they anyways? Weren't they supposed to zoom in and save her? No. She didn't want them to anyways. She wanted to do this herself and prove she could.

"How?" she gasped out.

"Oh it wasn't that hard. You were different than the other girls I've been with this week." He said that so casually and it made her so sick. "You were…smart. The others were just uneducated brats looking for a one night stand. You seemed slightly intelligent. That just separated you from the rest of the other bar rats." He said. Sakura wanted to scowl at being called 'slightly intelligent' but had to keep her temper under control.

"And besides. When I went to take a drink, after you put only God knows what in it, I noticed you look away quickly. It made me all the more curious. So I didn't drink it. I faked it." He explained smartly. Sakura inwardly groaned, beating herself over because her plan failed so easily. "And just now when I slammed you into this wall, it was all to see if I was right. And since your genjutsu fell I guess I was." He said complacently. Sakura felt his free hand roam over her body. It gave her tingles. Bad tingles. Not the exciting tingles she got like when she was around Sasuke. She was disgusted and started to struggle. _'Make him stop!' _She screamed in her head. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and it made her twitch and writhe with abhorrence.

In a swift movement he pulled away from her quickly and brought his arm wiping through across her face. Sakura was caught off guard by the sudden attack and was sent backwards by the harsh blow.

The kunoichi fell onto the floor and started to pick herself up, avoiding the pain in her cheek. She glared up at the evil man and stood getting herself ready for a fight. She didn't even want weapons now. She wanted to beat this man to death. She didn't care if she was supposed to make this look 'accidental.' He pissed her off so badly. She wanted to send this man to hell with her own two hands.

So Sakura charged. She went after him with chakra pumping with rage in her clenched fist. She wanted nothing more than to break this man. She wanted him hurt in the worst way possible. She wanted him begging for mercy, in a bloody heap, just so she could refuse to give it to him. He was the prime example of what every man shouldn't be. A disgusting pig.

Her fist made contact with his face and a sickening crack echoed in the room. She could feel his bones break beneath her knuckles but didn't feel satisfied. By the force of her punch, Akito was rendered helpless as he fell to the floor, his broken nose spilling blood everywhere. Sakura continued to throw her punched to random points of his body. All of her weapons she prepared were pointless now. There were two weapons she had now. She had the polish on her nail if she were able to cause an open wound, and there was also herself. Her brute force could bring anyone down.

The man was completely feeble, unable to move as he was beaten. Sakura was in a fury. Her temper and wrath overtook her and made her body move on its own. Her brain didn't think and her body just responded to her anger. People like this man didn't need to be here…using people…killing them for no reason. No, no, NO!

With her final blow Sakura used her chakra induced palm and struck his chest. She used a technique that would surly bring him down. The force of the attack sent her chakra through his torso and into a vital organ of his. A strangled gasp escaped Akito's mouth when the blow came. He coughed blood as his vision began to haze. The affect was almost instantaneous as his heartbeat began to become faint. Sakura had stopped his heart.

Within a matter of minutes there was near silence. Akito continued to cough up his own life supporting substance in the final moments of his life. His eyes were rolling around lazily in his sockets as his lids began to droop down. He was gasping with every breath he took as his life began to slip away.

Sakura on the other hand was panting for breath as she leaned over him. Akito was lying on his back, Sakura on her hands and knees over his body, glaring down at the fading soul. Her heart swelled at the sight. She didn't know what she was feeling then. Her anger dissipated but didn't disappear completely. But it struck her then.

She hadn't seen many people die. Her number count was less than five at the most. And she had only killed one of them, that person being the ex member of the Akatsuki, Sasori. She hadn't killed anyone else, but she had seen death at times. Many would think the numbers would be higher seeing that she was a ninja and head nurse, but that wasn't true. She had heard of more deaths than she could ever remember, but hadn't been there to witness them and she was glad that she didn't see them.

But even in that one time she killed someone, it wasn't because of overwhelming anguish and anger. It was because she was instructed to do so. And even now, she was instructed to kill this man. But she was supposed to make it look like he did it himself, or like some accident had occurred. She was taken over and her self control was lost as she beat on this man. It scared her to think that she could loose control so quickly.

She had to get out. But she had to do something here first. Sakura shivered as she watched Akito's eyes shut. His chest fell one last time and didn't rise again. Coldness ran down her back as chills erupted along her spine. It was strange how affected she was by this one death. Maybe it was because she watched it. She watched the light die from his eyes. Those magnetic eyes that were deep and dangerous. They were now dead and lifeless. She almost couldn't believe what she had done.

Slowly Sakura moved away and kneeled at his side. Her raged breathing had calmed down and she willed herself to stay calm. In all honesty she had never done an assassination before but was well trained in them. And she wasn't doing anything right. So she would right now. With quick hand seals, Sakura's hands began to glow a bright green. She began to heal the corpse. She fixed the broken bones and such. She cleaned up the blood form his face and observed him. He looked alright. Almost like he fell and never got back up. Now if people came in and doctors examined him, it will look like he had a heart attack instead of some girl pounding on him.

Sakura stood up on shaky legs and looked around the room. Now all she needed were the scrolls. Where would they be? Ah! There was a bag stuffed in the corner of the room. Looks like something he kept his belongings in. He seemed like he would have been the stupid one to foolishly leave things important like secret scrolls in his pack. She advanced over and began to shuffle through the bag.

After pushing aside various clothes and hygienic products, Sakura spotted two things that she needed. There sat two scrolls at the bottom of the bag, both tied up with a complex sealing charm around them. She snatched them up. They looked important and she was confident that they were what she needed. Now she just wanted to leave. Desperately.

The medic stood and briskly walked to the door where she rushed along, never looking back. She hurried out of the building in hopes that no one had seen her emerge from the room. Once she was on the streets, Sakura looked around. She didn't have a clear picture of where to find the motel. And at the moment she didn't have intentions of going back. She felt dejected for some reason. Her mind buzzed with thoughts that she wanted to set straight. For some reason Sasuke kept flashing through her mind.

Picking a random direction she began to walk down one of the streets. She didn't get far when footsteps were heard from behind her. "Sakura-chan!"

She almost wanted to tell them to go away. She stopped but didn't turn around and felt the presence of all four of her teammates behind her. She wanted nothing to do with them at the moment. She wanted to be alone so she could think about things. You never did feel quite right after killing someone.

"Sakura-chan are you alright?" the question came out a shriek. Her face was grabbed as Naruto forced her to turn so he could examine her swollen cheek. She pushed him off and healed her injury with what chakra she had left.

"I'm fine." She assured him.

Naruto gave her a skeptical look. "How'd it go? We couldn't get a good look. Are you sure you're alright? Is Akito dead? Did you get the scrolls?" Naruto rambled on. Sakrua quickly grew annoyed and frowned.

"He's dead." She growled. "Here's your damn scrolls." She took the two items they were after and shoved them non to nicely in Kakashi's un-expecting hands. He seemed puzzled by her rash movements and gave her a suspicious look. She wasn't telling them something obviously. He watched her begin to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?" the leader asked as she stuffed the scrolls in a pocket of his jeans for safe keeping.

"For a walk." Was his short reply.

"I think it would be best if you come back with us. You look exhausted and it's late. There are weirdoes out here late at night." Kakashi warned as he attempted to get her back to them. She seemed to have not heard him. "Sakura come back with us. You can do all the walking you want tomorrow when we go back home." He said in a firmer tone of voice. He really meant for her to come back. She didn't need to be out wandering around by herself this late at night. Kakashi didn't care how strong of a kunoichi she was. Her chakra levels were down from sustaining the genjutsu for so long and having to heal Akito's body. He wanted to know that she was safe. She could clear her mind in her own room.

"I'll be fine alright." She said with a bite. She turned and sneered at her leader and instantly regretted her actions. She could see the bitter look through his mask. Her brows scrunched up and she frowned mainly to herself as she turned away and walked quickly to avoid being called back.

Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai watched as she walked away from them. They were all confused by her actions and why she was suddenly so cranky. Her snippy attitude was awfully unusual and they didn't have a clear explanation as to what could be wrong with her.

"What do you think is wrong with Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as he watched the retreating figure with concerned blue eyes. His mind was telling him to run after her, but his heart and instincts were instructing him to leave her be. He knew she would be alright. He hoped at least.

"She must be stressed." Kakashi assumed. "Assassinations do funny things to people. If she's not back soon we'll search for her." He concluded. "Now let's get out of here. We shouldn't hang around near the crime scene."

**0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0**

As Sakura walked around the empty streets, her head hung low, her mind was busy processing all the thoughts she was thinking. She looked down at her hands. The hands that had just killed a man no more than twenty minute ago. It was hard for her to believe. It seemed surreal and she had no idea why she was so shaken by this event.

She had to put the whole thing aside. That's all, and she knew she could do it. Just forget about everything. Although, she would start after telling everything to her team. They would bombard her with questions no doubt and she would be willing to tell them. But not at the moment or tonight.

Sakura was lost. She didn't know what brought on her sudden depressed mood. Whether it was what she had just done or something else. She had been through a lot, and everything seemed to be just terribly screwed up. She was pregnant for Gods sake!

Oh dear. The baby….was it alright?

When Akito hit her. She fell to the ground pretty hard. Sakura began to inwardly panic as she forced her healing chakra to her hands. She brought them down to her lower stomach and waited a few seconds to feel it.

And it was like a sigh of relief when she felt the baby's heartbeat. That was a lucky break. She didn't loose her baby. She honestly didn't know what she would do if she did.

What would Sasuke have thought? No, she couldn't think about that. She still had to tell him of this whole ordeal, but she didn't know when. She still didn't feel like it was the right time. Maybe she should wait a bit longer.

It made her think of her relationship with Sasuke. What were they to him? Nothing much, she was sure. She was also sure that she didn't mean a whole lot to him either. She highly doubted that he had real, true feelings for him. But what could she do?

In all reality Sakura was tired. Tired of everything she was put through. She just wanted to settle down now and have everything be normal (or as close as she could get it). But besides that, she was tired of being alone. She had only had one boyfriend and that relationship was ruined because her heart was and still is set on one person. And she had him; she finally had the person she always wanted. Sakura felt nearly complete. There were still things in life she wanted, but overall…just having Sasuke is all she ever wanted.

But now she had a new goal. Teach him to love. Show him the fundamentals and help him re-learn the emotion. The green eyed girl had a good impression that he lost the feeling of love the night of the Uchiha massacre. And if she could show him how wonderful it felt to love someone, maybe he would in turn love her. She could start out slow and show him how to work a relationship. She didn't want this one to crumble. She had waited for so long, she didn't want it to end. If it was possible to get Sasuke to return some kind of feelings for her, then maybe she could live on being an Uchiha. Uchiha Sakura. It had a nice ring to it.

Looking forward, Sakura noticed she was near the front of the village where she entered with Pakuun. She didn't realize she traveled so far and was grateful that her feet led the way back to the motel. She didn't have to suffer getting lost or anything. And she got to clear her head. Now all she wanted was to sleep.

Walking up the stairs, she entered her room and debated changing or not while stripping from her heels. Yeah, she might as well. The dress wasn't something to sleep in, plus she didn't want to ruin any way. After changing into her night clothes and taking off all of her weaponry, Sakura stepped into the bathroom and washed her face, grateful to have the make-up off. She pulled the covers of her bed back and sank in, lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

It had been close to an hour later and Sakura turned over once more. She couldn't get comfortable at all. The bed was too big and something was missing. Someone actually. She felt more content with the warmth Sasuke had provided and the non lonely feeling she had when he was next to her. She needed sleep too. She needed energy for tomorrow's travel back to the village. There was one solution.

Picking her dreary body up, she advanced to the door and exited the room. She went to the door next to hers and pulled on the door handle. It was unlocked to her surprise. Maybe the guys were hoping she would check in with them before she went to bed. Or maybe they knew she would come wandering into their room late at night as she was right at this moment. Either way she was thankful and she entered the room.

It was dark in the room and Sakura could barely make out the lumps of her teammates sleeping. She didn't know if they were really sleeping, or just dozing a bit. Though, she could tell Naruto was asleep by his loud snores that seemed to shake the room. Maybe the others weren't asleep because of him.

Sakura walked over to Kakashi and Sasuke's bed and stood at the end, hesitating for only a moment. There was a small space in between the men which seemed to scream 'Sakura size!' She inwardly smiled and set her knee on the bed and began to crawl up.

Sasuke, who was in a slight slumber, felt the shifting of the bed. It felt like someone else was crawling up the bed between him and Kakashi. Oh hell, it better not be Naruto. He would kick his damn…

Sasuke turned over slightly. "Sasuke." Sakura whispered. "Did I wake you?"

Thank Kami it was Sakura. He shook his head no and turned all the way over. Kakashi kept on sleeping, and it didn't seem like he even noticed the girl.

"I couldn't sleep." Sakura informed him and sank down by him. "So I came to join you. And Kakashi too I guess." She said and looked over her shoulder at the father figure in her life. She settled down into Sasuke's front and wrapped an arm around his chest, brining herself in closer. The man seemed puzzled by her actions.

"I thought you were mad at me." He stated in a quizzical whisper.

"I'm not really." Sakura replied quietly. "I did some thinking while I was out walking. I really want to…" her words were cut off as Naruto let out a loud snort and rolled over, smacking his lips and scratching his stomach.

Sasuke sat up and pulled the covers back slowly. Sakura sat up as well and Sasuke pointed at the wall. She cocked her head in a confused manor and he shook his slightly. "Your room." He whispered. Sakura nodded in return and stood up, bringing the covers back down and tucking them around Kakashi while placing a light kiss on the man's uncovered forehead. She followed Sasuke out of the room and back into her own.

The pair climbed into Sakura's large bed. The girl sank down with a wide yawn, her head falling into the pillow. Sasuke settled down on his back. "We stayed up for a while just waiting for you. Then we heard you in here, so we figured you were back and didn't want to talk to us." He said.

"How do you know it was me and not a burglar or something?" she noted smartly.

"Hn."

The kunoichi yawned again and scooted closer to her koibito. "I did a lot of thinking." She started. "And I think we both have to put in a lot of effort to make this relationship work." Sasuke gave her a look. She put a hand up indicating that she wasn't finished. "I told you that I loved you. And I do love you Sasuke. But I also know that you hold no special feelings for me in return." She said, her voice in a steady tone. "I've come to accept that. But I also thought that…maybe I could help in some way. Teach you to love again. I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid with the whole idea. Maybe you won't ever hold any kind of feelings for me besides being your teammate. I guess I have to get over that." She confessed. Sasuke never replied, and didn't look as though he was going to talk.

"I know why you asked me out. I'm not happy with the reason. I don't know why I agreed." She indicated. Sakura could feel her stomach do flip flops as she said these words. She had been nervous at first, but was now becoming more confident of her speech. "But I just hope that at some point, you can develop feelings for me. Because if not…" she took in a deep breath. "I honestly don't know what to do."

A silence hung in the air and for the next few minutes as neither of them said a word. Neither knew what to say after Sakura's speech. She was right. There was no point in proving her wrong.

"You're right." Sasuke finally said. Sakura was afraid of hearing the words, yet was expecting them all the same. She didn't feel horrible, and she didn't feel like anything was wrong with her. There wasn't anything wrong with her. The problem resided in Sasuke, and she just wanted to help fix it. "I don't possess any feelings for you. I do want you to bear the next heir. We can start the new Uchiha clan together." He said. Sakura sat back and listened to the words he had to say, taking them all in like a sponge. It was rare for him to talk like this.

"Your prefect chakra control is phenomenal and would benefit any child we would have." He said. Sakura's brows knitted together. He just wanted a more efficient kid. That's what it sounded like. It didn't seem like he cared at all about having a family. She was confused. What were his real intentions? Just build the strongest clan out there? Or raise a nice family, and restore the clan in a nice manner?

"Right." She said in a quiet voice. Now she really didn't know what to do. She couldn't do anything if she didn't know his motives. The whole situation sucked.

Sakura yawned for the ninth time. "Sleep now. You need rest." Sasuke said. Sakura nodded and decided to continue her investigation later. She relaxed her body and inched forward. She wanted to be close to Sasuke at the moment. She cuddled into him, taking in his warmth and smiling at the comfort he gave her. Why couldn't everything be as simple as just being with someone for one reason. Because you love them. That would be perfect.

**0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0**

_Konoha…a few hours previous…_

"Do you think it was smart to send Team Kakashi on that mission?" a voice said from the open window. Tsunade picked her head up from her desk so fast she experienced a massive headache. With a groan, she placed her aching head in her palm and sent some of her soothing chakra in it.

"You could give me a warning before you wake me up." She growled. Jiraiya stepped through the window.

"Now that wouldn't be fun would it?" he said, obviously amused. The toad sage advanced to the front of her desk and sat on top, turned so he could face her as they talked. "You work yourself oh so hard Tsunade." He said as he noticed the stack of unsigned papers.

"Oh shut it you troll." She mouthed back and glared. "And I didn't have many other choices." She told him.

"What about Asuma's team?" Jiraiya asked as he picked up one of the documents and looked it over. New vending machines in the jounin lounge? Jiraiya laughed to himself as he thought of how Naruto would have reacted if it were him in the office signing important documents. He'd probably run around exclaiming that it was about time that they got new vending machines. And of course he'd be the first to find one that held little cups of ramen in them.

"No, no I couldn't send them. If my guess I correct, Inoichi and Tsumi are going grandparents." She held a small smirk on her face. Jiraiya looked shocked.

"Inoichi? His kid?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief. Tsunade nodded lazily.

"And if I'm correct. It should be Shikamaru's." The Godaime watched as her old teammates jaw fell even further.

"How do you figure? Did she tell you?" He asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "No I could just tell. I'm not a superb medic for any reason. I can tell. For one thing, I've never seen a girl of that size eat as much ramen as Chouji." She said with a chuckle. Jiraiya smirked. "And two you can tell she put on some amount of weight." Tsunade remembered back when she saw Ino not too long ago with her team at Ichiraku. She heeded the small pouch the girl was developing. "And that girl would never let herself go out of shape. Never."

Jiraiya nodded. "But there were other choices. Better choices." He said with a serious face. Tsunade matched his serious face.

"I know. But I know they can handle themselves. This mission wasn't anything they couldn't handle. My apprentice is very well trained." She said. Tsunade's only concern was that Sakura had never done a mission like this before. She hoped that the girl was making out alright.

"No, I mean…"

"I know what you mean." Tsunade said, now annoyed. She was just as amazed and frustrated as Jiraiya about the condition and what was happening. She knew it might have been a mistake to let the team out there without good knowledge of what was happening on the outside world of Fire country, but she wanted to prove that she could trust Sasuke and the mission just popped up. She never really thought before she called for Team Kakashi. But she didn't regret her decision.

A silence fell upon the room before the toad sage broke it. "You should get some rest." He spoke.

"I'm fine." Tsunade said grumpily. She scowled and slumped down onto her desk. Jiraiya didn't laugh, or chuckle. He stood up and tugged on her arm.

"I'll bring you to your room." He said. Tsunade gruelingly stood. She didn't object this time. "You really should stop overworking yourself. They better make Naruto Hokage soon so that you can rest like you should be." He said.

"How do you know that Naruto's going to even get the title?" Tsunade asked as she and Jiraiya walked from the office and down the hall of the Hokage mansion.

"Oh I've got a good felling. I mean you can't keep a kid like that from being Hokage can you? No. He's as determined as Minato was, so I'm sure they'll appoint him as the Rokudaime." Jiraiya said, confidence leaking with each syllable he spoke.

A small chuckle fell from Tsunade's lips. They reached her room and she opened the door slightly, but she didn't enter. "Do you think they're alright?" she asked.

The white haired man rubbed his chin. "Of course. They've got Kakashi and the four others are strong. They'll be fine." He said. Tsunade gave a small jerk of her head.

"You're right. I'm worrying over nothing." She said.

"I wouldn't say that. You have every right to worry Tsunade." Jiraiya said. He leaned against the wall. "You've got two kids on that squad that you care about as if they were your own children. That's a reason to worry."

Tsunade didn't feel better by his words. She felt as though she shouldn't feel all panicky. She had to have confidence in them, just like Jiraiya did. "When are you leaving?" she asked in a whispered tone.

Jiraiya looked down. "Now don't tell me you're getting all upset because I'm leaving again. That's not the Tsunade I know." He said. Tsunade frowned. "I leave in two days. I want to get as much information on him and the rest of Akatsuki as I can." He said. "I think they're on the move again, so I have to act quickly."

Tsunade just nodded solemnly. She didn't want him to go, but they needed as much information as they could get, and Jiraiya was the best man to get that information. "Just come back. Soon. Don't take too long." She whispered. The man before her looked to be in shock at her sudden down mood.

"I'm not going to die. I'm just getting info." he joked. Tsunade sent him a nasty glare. He stopped his laughter but continued to smile. "Look, Tsunade. You have to stop worrying about loosing everyone. We're all fine aren't we? I can't say that nothing will happen to us. We're all ninja. Ninja get killed."

"Just come back." Tsunade said. She opened the door further and began to step into her room.

"I promise alright?" he said with a roll of his eyes. Before the Godaime could shut the door, Jiraiya stopped her. "One more thing." She turned around. "Are you going to tell Sasuke?" he asked.

With a pause and a deep breath Tsunade answered. "No." with that she closed the door behind her.

…_**TBC…**_

**Oh! I know you are all confused now! Um….don't think too much about the thing Tsunade and Jiraiya were talking about. That will be mentioned periodically throughout the story, then it will be revealed what that is. So…did you like it? Or did you hate it? Be honest now! Please tell me! **


	27. Kidnapped

**What do I say? Nothing more than thank you all and please just go with me. I know you all are like…WTF is going on? But eventually everything will get explained, I have everything planned out!**

**And I'm sorry I took so long to update. I got distracted by a lot of things and school is a…bitch. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not, will not, could not, and probably should not be mine. **

Sakura leaned down and refilled the almost empty cat dish so it was brimming with tiny nuggets of kitten chow. She had refilled the water already and set out a dish of special cat milk for Shira.

The white fluff ball was in the middle of the bedroom playing with the catnip mouse and its ears perked up at the sound of it's dish being filled. She pranced warily around Sakura's legs to obtain her meal. "Did you miss me Shira?" Sakura teased as she smiled thoughtfully at her pet. The neko paid her no mind and delved on her nibbles of food. Sakura sighed and stood up.

"We have to go to the Uchiha home." Sasuke said from behind her. Sakura jumped, not knowing he was there and turned to face him. She frowned at his blank expression and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We have been back from the mission for half an hour and already we're leaving?" she questioned resentfully. Sasuke's blank face never changed showing he was serious. Sakura sighed once more.

"Whatever." She mumbled and looked away. "Why do we have to go anyways?"

The man shrugged his shoulders in non explanatory manor which in turn caused the girl to become even more flustered. Her face grew red as she glared at him.

"The hell does that mean?" she blurted out, her arms being thrown carelessly into the air. Sasuke began to walk out of the room, his angry girlfriend following right behind spitting obscenities in his direction. "Stupid idiot. I know you can talk dumbass so answer me!"

"Hn." Was his reply. A smirk followed which was caught by Sakura. The evil teme was playing with her.

"You're such a jerk you know that?" she grumbled. Without missing a step she followed him out the door, still unsure of why they were going. Sakura thought they were going just so he could see the team. She did have to check up on that Juugo guy though. Just to see how his injuries were doing. But then what? What was going to happen with the team? They couldn't stay there could they? What if someone noticed? What then?

Sakura made sure her house was secure as she stepped out. Sasuke waited patiently. She was at his side in no time and the pair made their way down the path to the separate mini Uchiha village.

The walk was silent, no different from any of the others they had taken. Sakura was so used to Sasuke's silent behavior that it almost seemed as though she were alone. But there were times where his presence was so imperious that even if he didn't say anything, you couldn't help but notice him. It was just some gift he had, she thought. Sakura wasn't like that at all. She either slithered away and became the shy wallflower, or she was unusually happy and made her presence known. Her random hyper bouts were still a mystery to her.

At the moment, she didn't take too much notice to Sasuke at her side because she was thinking to herself. Her wandering mind had always made her loose focus on what she was doing. Sasuke noticed this when he saw Sakura, who was busily staring at the sky, nearly ran into an older woman in front of one of the fruit vender carts. He swiftly pulled her aside, almost embarrassed of her air head attitude.

"Thanks." Sakura spoke when she observed that the raven haired boy saved her from what could have a devastating collision. Sasuke merely glared at the path before them, not saying anything back. Sakura frowned.

They had made it, after what seemed like an eternity, and Sasuke led the way to his old home. He slid the front door open and stepped inside. Sakura couldn't hear anything when she ascended in. It sounded as if no one was there. It was dark and there were no movements what so ever. She could feel Sasuke send out an intense pulse of chakra to signal who was entering the home.

Then it all seemed like a flash when a body was right behind her, a grin placed on the pale face, his jagged teeth flashing. Sakura tensed at the sudden transit. The rough voice was right behind her ear as Suigetsu spoke. "Where ya been?"

He was too close for Sakura's comfort. Maybe if she was better acquainted with this man, she would feel slightly more comfortable. But she didn't, and to her at the moment, he was on the other side and not to be fully trusted. "Could you step away from me please?" she asked in a not so nice tone.

She could feel the smug rays emitting off of him. He moved in a flash, her eyes not able to read his fast movements. Before she knew it, he was in front of her where she could see full view of his smug look. "I'm not going to bite you." He promised teasingly.

"One can never be too sure." Sakura mumbled. Her scowl deepened. Suigetsu simply smirked then rounded on the Uchiha.

"So where have you been? Don't like us anymore?" he asked. Sasuke's face remained blank, but he was slightly annoyed by the teasing attitude Suigetsu possessed.

"We were on a mission." He stated passively. It was like he was needed to hold the groups hand or something. He was surprised they even survived as long as they did since he was away. It was almost like a miracle.

"Seriously? Did you see some action? Crush any skulls?" the shark boy asked, his tone changing to one of excitement. It was apparent that he was the one to take action in a fight. He reminded Sakura of a small boy who was amazed when hearing about a tale from an older shinobi.

"Hn. It was boring." Sasuke said inactively. "For an A ranked, there was nothing to it." He grumbled. Sakura snorted.

"You can say that." She replied hotly, glaring at him. He didn't see the amount of action she had, and she could only wish that he had to fight. She shivered at the thought and could still feel the feeling of Akito's dirty hands on her body. That was nothing she ever wanted to experience again.

"Sasuke-kun! I thought I felt your chakra nearby!" The high pitched voice sounded from the stair way and once the three looked over, they immediately discouraged their choices. Karin stood there, in nothing but a fluffy white towel. Her auburn hair was wet as it swirled down her back. Her glasses were mindlessly thrown on in her attempt to get downstairs as fast as she could. She held the towel around her small frame and waved cutely in his direction.

There were three blank stared towards her. She smiled at Sasuke, but then that smile turned upside down at the first sight of Sakura. Her cheeks were flushed as her ruby eyes narrowed at the pink haired beauty. Sakura glared right back.

"You just can't help but try to show off huh?" Suigetsu said sarcastically. He sighed. "Put some damn clothes on. This isn't exactly the prettiest picture I've ever seen." He chuckled. Sakura did as well and Karin's face flushed further, more from anger than embarrassment.

"Heh. I have a nice body. Besides, I need new clothes. I can't keep wearing the same thing over and over again. It's unhygienic and…gross." She said looking disgusted. "I'd rather go like this than wear the same clothes again."

"Yeah well, you should keep them on until we get you new clothes." Suigetsu replied, squinting his eyes and then covering them in an imitation that he just went blind.

Karin huffed. "Well someone should get me new clothes now!" she demanded snobbishly.

"With what money? We don't have any." The blue haired man said.

"Sakura, can't you let her borrow some." Sasuke suggested. "You two are about the same size."

Sakura's face fell. "What? No…I don't think it'll work out." She said, shaking her head. Karin didn't look happy about the suggestion either. She looked rather pissed that Sasuke would suggest something like that.

"Just do it. It won't kill either of you, just until we can get Karin her own clothes." He said in exasperation. Really, he just wanted Karin away so he could talk with Suigetsu. And if he had to risk only one girl coming back to the house, he would. He could only pray that it was Sakura. He preferred her over Karin.

"Sasuke, you can't boss me around!" Sakura shouted. She placed her hands on her hip, a clear signal that she was not happy. "Just give me some money and we'll get her new clothes."

"Karin can't be seen walking around. It's not safe." Sasuke replied coolly.

"Well then I'll get her some clothes myself!" She tried to bargain. She really had no interest in handing out her clothes to another girl who was smitten over her boyfriend.

"Yeah…no. I have a certain taste of clothes and…" Karin looked over Sakura in her ninja attire. "It's not what you have on."

An audible growl was heard. Sakura bared her teeth at the girl and put up a fist. Karin stuck her nose in the air and turned around, ignoring the heated look that was burning at the back. Sasuke sighed.

"Sakura just do it. It's pointless to argue over something like this. Besides, it looks like you two could use the time to get along." He mumbled the last part. He was tired of the bickering and the complaining. He just wanted them both gone now.

"You owe me if I do this!" Sakura appealed. Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. Sakura smirked. "You do whatever I want for a whole day." she put out. She looked at the smoldering look in his eyes, hoping he would take the bait.

"Whatever."

It was like a happy moment for Sakura. She smiled slightly, and then frowned again when she thought of what she agreed to do. Oh well, she could get through some time with this…chick. And to pay for it, Sasuke will willingly do what she wanted for a full day. Now that was awesome.

"Who says I want to wear anything she has?" Karin asked as she pulled the towel tighter around her body.

"Because I said so." Sasuke said darkly in a deep voice. Karin looked flabbergasted and she didn't say anything after that.

"I'll be ready soon." Were her final words as she ascended up the stairs.

Suigetsu turned to his teammate. "Dude, you have to teach me how to shut her up."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

The walk to Sakura's house was uncomfortably silent and hostile. The girls didn't say anything to each other, nor did they look at each other. Sakura was scowling and kept up a steady pace as she hoped from roof to roof. She could see her rooftop in the near distance and felt a sigh escape her mouth. The sooner this was over with, the sooner they got back which meant the sooner she could get to training with Ino.

Karin followed behind, not too close. She was raging on the inside, upset because of what Sasuke wanted her to do. He was a bossy person, and she was too. She wasn't keen on taking orders from other people, although Sasuke was a slight objection since it was him.

They reached Sakura's home and the pink haired girl unlocked the door and hurried in, not caring if Karin was following or not. She marched right through to her room. She had left the door open, not sure if Shira would leave or not. The kitten wasn't in sight, but she wasn't too concerned at the moment. She was just a bit ticked off.

Karin walked in, scowling with displeasure. She stood in the middle of the room, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest. Her ruby eyes scanned the room, taking in the details and scrutinizing in any way she could. Sakura was already going through her closet. The clothes she didn't wear too often were kept there. Her favorable clothes were kept in her dresser on the far side of the room.

"Well are you going to look or not?" she grumbled miserably. She heard an audible noise from Karin which sounded like a small "hmph."

The red haired girl appeared in the doorway. She looked over the selection which wasn't too large. "This is all you have?" she asked as she scanned through the row of shirts.

"Sorry I don't have a huge collection. Be grateful I'm letting you borrow anything." Sakura seethed through clenched teeth. She wanted to just kick this girl's ass right here. But that wouldn't be good for either of them and Sasuke wouldn't be impressed when they returned. She didn't want to be on his bad list.

Karin rolled her eyes and began to really look through Sakura's things. The medic picked up a tight fitting t-shirt and held it up in front of Karin. The other kunoichi in turn raised an eyebrow. Sakura muttered something to herself and shook her head. She then grabbed a pair of jeans.

"What size do you wear anyway?" Most of Sakura's pants were a size 3.

"4." Karin answered simply and slung a reasonable shirt over her arm.

A small noise, something of a snort came from Sakura. "I see." She said obviously amused.

"What?" the red head asked, now immensely annoyed. She narrowed her eyes and placed her free on her hip. "Is there something wrong?"

Sakura shook her head once more. "No. I thought we would be the same size. But I see now. You have pretty big hips." It was a bold move to say those words to a pissed kunoichi, but Sakura was one tough cookie. She wasn't afraid of anything this girl could do. Which didn't appear to be much.

"Oh well excuse me for not have a perfect figure. At lease I can fill my clothes out. Unlike some people. It's sad when grown girls are lacking a chest." She smirked triumphantly at the smart retort. Sakura's face began to grow red, her fists clenched on either side of her body. A wave of hatred flashed through her and she had to restrain herself from pouncing on her pray.

Instead she took a deep breath and willed herself to remain calm. But she wasn't done yet. "So what? Girls are built differently. At least I don't have to let it all hang out to get a guy." She responded. "Do you even have a guy?"

Sakura could swear there was steam coming out of Karin's ears. "Does it matter? There's only one guy I want." She growled.

"Well too bad he's taken. And I'm not giving him up so easily." The beast within Sakura growled and Inner Sakura pumped her fists as if waiting for a fight. There girls were in each others faces now. They had looks of murder in their eyes and neither would hesitate if a fight did start up.

Before either could make a move, the phone in Sakura's room began to ring. It took a second for her to move, but Sakura stepped away, her glare never weakening as she left to get it.

"Hello?" she answered a bit harsher than she meant.

"Finally!" a voice jeered. "I've been trying to call for the last half hour!"

"Sorry Ino." Sakura apologized. She tried to keep her voice down and cursed that her phone wasn't cordless. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Well for one thing, don't forget about my appointment." She started. "It's in two days, and I'm thinking that I'm going to have to say something to Tsunade-sama by then. It's going to be obvious when I'm in the hospital."

Sakura unconsciously nodded. "Right. Ok I won't forget." She made a mental note to remember.

"And." Ino continued. "We have a training date." Before she could continue, Sakura butted in.

"Yes. I really need to talk to you. Alone." She muttered, glancing over her shoulder at Karin who was scanning through the clothes. The green eyed girl was sure that she was listening. It was inevitable for Karin not to hear her.

"Ok. And you don't have plans for tonight do you?" Ino questioned anxiously. Sakura's brow scrunched up as she answered with a "no."

"Good. We, as in you, me, and Tenten are going to stay at Hinata's tonight. If her dad approves." Sakura was more confused.

"What do you mean Ino?" she asked, her eyes clouded with confusion. There was a slight pause and Sakura knew to prepare for a long story.

"Well I talked to Tenten not long ago and she seemed bummed. Apparently she's having problems with Neji. He just doesn't seem to notice her. Even though I think he has feelings for her, he needs a little push. So we're going to stay over and try to help in some way. Hinata agreed to it and we decided to turn it into our own little sleepover." Ino seemed giddy. "It's just lucky that none of us have missions right now. So we should take the chance."

Sakura could feel some form of excitement go through her. She missed hanging out with all three of her friends and it sounded like a great idea. "Yes!" she replied a bit loudly. Karin glanced over at her with a frown.

"Awesome. When can we meet for training?" Ino asked.

"At three. Training ground 5." Sakura said. "If we have to, we'll move to some place more secluded." Sakura said in a hushed tone.

"Sounds good. I'll see you late then."

"Bye Ino."

Sakura hung up the phone and sat on her bed. She was going to tell Ino her secret. She wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, but she wanted someone other than Kakashi to know. And Ino seemed safe to tell. She trusted Sakura with her pregnancy secret, so she could trust Ino right? Yes the village gossip. It sounded worse than she hoped it would be.

"Hey, do you have anything…else?" Karin asked from the doorway of the closet. Her nose was scrunched up slightly.

"No!" Sakura practically shouted. "It's not a department store for your convenience!"

Karin looked taken aback. "Well sorry." She growled.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"I'm leaving." Sakura said, mainly to inform her boyfriend where she was going. "I'm going to train with Ino." She said. Sasuke looked up from the couch where he had been sitting. Suigetsu was sitting opposite from him, in charge of the conversation they were having.

"I'll come with you." Sasuke said as he began to sit up. Sakura's face paled.

"No!" she said, rushed. It was a mistake that she couldn't take back because there was instant curiosity on Sasuke's face. His dark eyes narrowed for a moment and he gave her a suspecting look. "I mean, we're going to have a bit of girl talk. So we'd rather be alone." She covered truthfully. Sasuke sat back down.

"Fine." He grumbled. "I'll train on my own."

"I'll train with you!" Suigetsu said enthusiastically. It was obvious that he was feeling a bit claustrophobic in this house. He needed to get out and do something, rather than continue to be cooped up in here.

"Hn. I'll check out the old dojo. I haven't been in there in years." Sasuke said and stood up.

"Oh. And I won't be home tonight. Sasuke, you'll have to stay with Kakashi, Naruto, or Sai." She said quietly. She ducked her head down expecting him to yell at her. Or something along those lines. Instead his eyes just narrowed further, and his face grew slightly darker.

"Where will you be?" she growled out, obviously not happy with the last minute information.

"Hinata's." Was her only quick reply. She ducked out of the living room before he could stop her. She passed Karin on her way out, and didn't even take notice of the borrowed clothes she had on.

Karin stepped into the room after Sakura left and stood in the doorway. "I'm going out." She said fleetly and left before she could be stopped. She knew she wasn't supposed to be out, but she wanted to be nosy and find out why that other Sasuke lover wanted to talk to her friend so badly. She might find out some interesting information.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"How are you holding up?" the medic asked her blonde friend. Ino held Sakura's feet down as the older girl continued to perform her sit ups.

"I'm doing ok. The morning sickness isn't as bad anymore. And I though my appetite was bad a month ago. You should see me now." She laughed at herself. Sakura smiled.

"Are you driving Shikamaru nuts yet?" Sakura asked. She breathed out as she sank back down to the earth. She stopped and sat up, ready to switch positions. She took a hold of Ino's feet and the girl began her exercises.

"I drove him nuts the first week. But he's dealing with it. He's been really nice, and he takes care of me. Even if he's too lazy to do anything sometimes."

"I'm sure."

After they finished up their sit-ups, Sakura resolved that she could work on her chakra barrier. She had to work extra hard on this technique though. Normally it wouldn't take her too long to master it, but with the baby in the way, that just made things more difficult. So she had to learn to channel her chakra without the baby's interfering.

"Ugh." Her barrier fell once more, after what seemed like the tenth try. Ino stopped her weapons practice and observed her friend. Sakura performed the hand seals once again and the light blue wall of chakra began to form around her. She sent the chakra out in equal portions. But she could feel the one spot that was slightly stronger than the others. It threw her off balance and she tried to repress it. Sakura struggled with the chakra overflow. But she lost it as the barrier fell.

"Damnit." She hissed.

"A chakra shield?" Ino questioned. She approached Sakura who was breathing heavier than normal. She wiped her brow.

"Yeah. Tsunade-shishou wanted me to learn it. I haven't talked to her since our mission, and I never got a chance to ask her why. I guess I shouldn't question her though." Sakura said and prepared to do the jutsu again.

"But knowing you, you should have gotten it already." Ino said. Sakura nodded her head. She hesitated for a moment before answering her friend.

"There's actually a reason why." She started. Ino looked as though she was listening, her face inquisitive. Sakura took a deep breath, not knowing if she should say this. But she would just have to come out with it. It was too late to turn back around.

"There is something disturbing my chakra control." Sakura confessed, not knowing if the blonde would catch on or not. She looked over Ino's face to see the girl's eyes were wide slightly. Did that mean she got it?

"Wait. Are you trying to say….you're…?" she trailed off with a look of disbelief. Sakura nodded timidly. "You're pregnant!" Ino burst out. Again Sakura nodded.

"Oh Kami! Whose is it?" Ino asked. That seemed like the stupidest question to Sakura. But not to Ino. Ino didn't know that she was dating Sasuke.

"Just guess." Sakura said quietly.

"It's not Kiba's right?" Ino asked. Sakura shook her head no.

"Please tell me it's not Kakashi's or Genma's. I know how close you are with both of them." Ino said with a sly glance. Sakura looked at her disapprovingly.

"Hell no Ino, that's crazy."

"Alright. Lee?"

"No, it's not Lee." Sakura said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, it's someone I know right?" Ino inquired.

"Yes it is someone you know." Sakura debated whether she should tell Ino right away who it was.

"Oh! Is it Sai?" the blued eyed girl asked. Once again Sakura shook her head.

"I don't even know if Sai kissed a girl let alone had sex." Sakura said. That wasn't something she was to think about either.

"Well look at him. He's gorgeous. Emotionally challenged, but he's some nice eye candy." Ino's eyes drifted off as she though of Sakura's emotionally deprived teammate.

"I agree that he's good looking. But it's not him. Keep guessing." Sakura concluded. "It's actually a bit obvious."

"Well, I know you wouldn't go for a taken guy. And Shino scares you. I don't know of anything between you and Chouji." Sakura rolled her eyes again at her friend evasiveness to the obvious answer. "So…." Ino's sky blue eyes then twinkled with realization.

"I can't believe you." She said cunningly. "You! Helping someone revive his clan! It's Sasuke's!" Her face seemed to melt into one of concern. "But…why?"

Both girls were oblivious to the muffled squeal from out in the woods.

"It…was an accident." Sakura explained. "We were drunk…and it just happened. I didn't think at the moment. I don't even remember anything." She said. Ino looked disappointed that she would receive any detail.

"So you don't remember doing it with one of the sexiest men alive!?" she cried out. Sakura shushed her and glanced around nervously.

"No. But…you don't know…we're dating right now. We weren't when it happened." She said. Ino looked stunned.

"Why haven't you told me!? What the hell? Tell me everything!" Ino demanded.

"Fine…"

Neither of them noticed the furious figure retreating from the woods.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"I can't believe your dad's letting us stay." Tenten commented as she walked with the others girls along the outside walkway of the Hyuuga home. "I didn't think he was very happy with you."

"He's not." Hinata responded and rounded and corner towards her bedroom. "He's still upset that I ran away, but he decided to be generous just this once for me." She said. "He's also not happy with my decision to not take over as head of the family."

That was news to Ino and Sakura and both girls gaped. "You're not?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"No. I suggested to Father that Neji take over. It would benefit both of us immensely." She interpreted. "That way there shouldn't be any reason that I can't be with Naruto." There was a faint blush on her cheeks.

"That's a great idea, but how did Hiashi-sama take it?" Ino asked. Hinata opened her bedroom door and stepped into the extravagant room. From the light walls, to the lavender bedcovers, all the way to the fresh bouquet of flowers, everything seemed to be perfect.

"He was silent for a long time. That's what scared me. Then he said he would have to think about it and talk to the other members. There is a good chance that they won't do it, and if not, then I will have no other choice but to do it. Hinabi isn't of age yet, so she can't take over." Hinata sat on her large bed and looked at her friends with a slightly worried smile. "I just hope they do allow Neji to take over. He would make a better Head for the family than I ever could."

Ino smirked as she plopped down into the bed. "Not to mention he'll need a wife right? I heard most hot shot families have the new head's married off right away if they're single." Her glance moved towards Tenten. "That means it's time to make a move."

Tenten's chocolate eyes widened. "R-right." She stammered. Sakura smirked as well.

"You can do it. Even the coldest guys are nice towards the woman they love." She said. Though it didn't seem to prove to be true for her cold hearted jerk of a boyfriend. But she was working on that. She wouldn't let her opportunity go to waste.

"But how do we even know if he likes me?" Tenten asked, perturbed. She wasn't sure if he even wanted to get together with anyone, and if so…who knew who it could be. There was a good chance that he didn't like her in that way at all. That he just liked her as a sister, or just as a friend. She didn't want that though. She wanted him to like her. To love her like she loved him.

"And we're here to help you." Ino said smiling at her friend. Tenten forced a smile in return.

"Thanks." She muttered.

"Alright. Step one. Infiltrate Neji's room!" Ino declared. She glanced at the clock on Hinata's bedside table. It was already quarter to seven. "He's home right Hinata?"

"Yes. He's usually in his room at this time. But I'm not sure that it would be a good idea to disturb him." The pale eyed girl said quietly.

"Oh he won't…ok he'll mind. But we came here for Tenten's sake, so if we don't do something…" Sakura said. She wanted to help her friend. She had seen Tenten longing gaze at Neji for way too long and it was time that they do something. Or come to some sort of conclusion as to what they both feel for each other.

"Right so let's go!" Ino said and jumped up off the bed. She moved to the door and opened it. She stepped out into the hallway and disappeared around the corner. Within a matter of seconds she returned.

"Where's Neji's room?" she asked with an embarrassed chuckle.

Hinata led the way while Ino and Sakura had to forcefully push Tenten who said that this wasn't fair.

"It's not about being fair." Sakura said.

"Yeah." Ino agreed and she pushed Tenten harder. "It's about getting you your man."

"He's not my man." Tenten growled.

"Oh he's yours." Ino said with a devious smirk. Tenten groaned and finally allowed herself to be pushed, knowing she wouldn't get out of this.

Hinata stopped in front of a door and knocked politely. "Neji, please excuse us." She said softly and opened the door.

Neji was in his room, quietly looking over a scroll. He knew that Hinata was having friends over, but he didn't expect them to barge into his room. He thought he was safe in the privacy of his room, but with four girls coming in, he knew he wasn't.

Hinata blushed when she noticed Neji was sitting on his bed half naked. The nights were indeed getting warmer and he didn't expect this to happen. He stared at the four with confusion.

"What are you doing here?" he asked darkly. His eyes narrowed into slits and his arms crossed over his bare chest.

"We can't visit and say hello?" Ino argued back, her own glare almost matching his. Both looks could probably kill.

"Well it would be nice if I had more warning." He said. Tenten was standing behind Ino and Sakura. "What do you really want?"

"Nothing." Sakura said. She walked forward and looked around. His room was only slightly smaller than Hinata's. There wasn't much to it aside from the table by his bed, his dresser, a desk, and a bookshelf stacked with books. The black comforter on his bed was a big contrast to the pale gray walls.

"Well if you have no business here, then why are you here?" he asked, now annoyed. He turned his attention to Hinata who looked away quickly. His pale eyes then turned to Tenten who was staring right at him. Her eyes averted his gaze quickly.

"You don't have to be a grouch." Ino insisted. "We though we would pay you a visit. You know, incase you were lonely."

Neji rolled his eyes. "I was content without company." He informed them.

"Well sorry we intruded on your precious alone time." Sakura said. Neji glared in her direction. They made no move to leave. Neji in turn decided to ignore them and he turned back to his scroll.

Ino and Sakura then exchanged glances. They nodded to each other and tugged on Hinata's arm. "We'll be right back." Ino said and pulled Hinata with them. They pushed past Tenten who made a move to follow them. Neji didn't pay attention as Sakura pushed Tenten further into the room and closed the door behind the other three, leaving Tenten alone with Neji.

The brown haired girl stood awkwardly in the middle of Neji's room. She looked around and fumbled with the hem of her shirt, unsure of what to do. Her stomach was bouncing around with nerves and she tried to formulate what she should do. It would be rude (and stupid) to run right out of the room. But…it was strange…standing in Neji's room…with Neji right there…with no shirt on.

What was she saying? This was Neji. Her teammate of how many years? She shouldn't feel so strange being around him. She had grown used to his silences. For the most part, she felt comfortable with him around. So what was she so nervous about?

Rejection.

That's what she was nervous about. She was afraid that if she did finally say something to Neji that he would look at her blankly and flat out refuse that he had feelings for her. That's what worried her the most.

"Is there a reason they left you in here by yourself?" Neji spoke, not looking up from the scroll.

Tenten froze when he spoke. She turned to face him slowly and smiled innocently. He then looked up at her with a softer look than he had given Ino. "Uh…no. No, of course not." She spurted out. She was almost unsure of herself as she moved to take a seat on the edge of his bed. Neji didn't question her further.

"What are you reading?" she asked, looking over at the scroll. Neji didn't bother to cover any of it, so it couldn't have been anything secretive.

"Hiashi-sama gave this to me. It seems that talk about me becoming head of the family is on the good side. He gave this to me, just to prepare me more if they decide to follow through with the plan." Tenten smiled.

"That's great. I'm glad that they're considering you." She said in earnest happiness.

"Yes." Neji agreed. "There is only one thing that concerns me if I am to become head." He paused for a moment and Tenten didn't speak, not sure if he was finished or not.

"There is the only problem of having to find a wife." He said. Tenten held her breath and didn't open her mouth. When it was obvious that he wasn't going to speak, she decided to say something.

"That shouldn't be hard for you. I mean, there are plenty of girls out there that would be willing." That appeared to be the wrong thing to say; judging by the dark scowl that suddenly adorned his face. Tenten sank back down under his intense glare.

"I'm not looking for someone who I can just pick right up and use. I would rather find someone who I know I can live with. Someone I can connect with." He admitted. It seemed to be a miracle that those words left his mouth. He shut up immediately and Tenten smiled. "And someone the family will approve of." He added in.

Tenten's face fell. Would the family approve of her? That was a bad thing to think. The Hyuuga family was a place of high standards.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" she dared to ask. There was a lump in her throat and her heart seemed to refuse to work until he answered. He was silent though. That wasn't a good sign.

She waited anxiously, wanting to know his answer.

"Tenten…" he started. She held her breath in anticipation. Was a video camera moment about to happen?

Just then the moment was ruined as the door was slammed open. "We have ice cream! Ice cream Tenten come on!"

Not to the kunoichi surprise it was Ino who charged in and pulled her from the room. "They said I couldn't have any until you got there! I want my ice cream!" Ino declared and dragged Tenten away. The weapons mistress threw a look over her shoulder at Neji who had a strange look on his face before she was pulled from the room. She cursed Ino torturously in her mind.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Stars dotted the night outside as the night grew late. The four began to settle in to sleep. It was rapidly approaching eleven o'clock. Hinata had insisted that Ino take her bed. She said that she would be fine on the floor. Sakura allowed Tenten to take the other half of the bed. Ino shot her a look, and Sakura insisted that she would be alright.

"Tenten you know I'm sorry." Ino apologized once more. Tenten had informed the group what Ino dragged her away from. With the unbalanced hormone levels ranging through the girl, Ino went into light hysterics and refused to believe that Tenten had forgiven her.

"Ino. It's fine. I'll get another chance sometime." She said, although she was still slightly ticked that she was pulled away from the moment of a lifetime. She pulled the blankets up on her body further.

"Night everyone." Sakura said and she snuggled into her pillow besides Hinata.

"Goodnight." Hinata said quietly.

"Night." Came Tenten's muffled reply.

"Night. Sorry." Ino said.

"I'm going to smack you." Tenten mumbled from her pillow.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

It was three in the morning and when Sakura woke up, she had only thing set and that was to use the bathroom. She stood up as quietly as she could and looked around the dark room. The others seemed to be asleep and she could hear their rhythmic breathing.

She would have to hurry though. The Hyuuga compound was fairly large, and she didn't have the clearest memory of where the bathroom was. She remembered that she had to go along one of the outside walkways and down another hall. Hopefully she could find it. She stood up and started to move towards the door.

"Sakura?" the soft voice belonged to a sleepy Hinata.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." Sakura said. "How do I get there again?" she whispered.

"To the right from here, then turn the corner to the outside walkway." Hinata said. "Then it's the second hall on the left side, third door down."

Sakura's mind spun. How was she supposed to remember that? "Would you like me to go with you?" Hinata asked.

"No I'll be alright." Sakura said and advanced to the door.

Hinata heard the door open, then close. She sank down into her make shift bed but didn't close her eyes. It would be better if she stayed awake, at least until Sakura made it back. She wanted to make sure her friend didn't get lost.

Sakura walked out into the night air to find it nice and warm. The hallways stretched down a bit and she dragged her tired feet down the hall. A breeze blew around her, messing her hair up. She heard the rustling of the trees and the bushes nearby.

She passed the first hallway, and it seemed instant when she felt suddenly uneasy. Like she wasn't alone. Was it possible that one of the other family members would be around, just talking a walk?

It didn't seem likely.

She sped up her pace, her heart now racing slightly faster in her chest. She glanced around nervously, unsure of what could happen. The rustling grew louder, but now there was no breeze in the air. She told herself to remain calm. It was probably some small animal, nothing to worry about. She shouldn't get worked up. She could take care of herself.

But then there was a low, dark, deep chuckle. She could tell that whoever it was, was not someone friendly. Her pace sped up more, into a sprint. She no longer had intentions of getting to the bathroom, but getting to a room nearby. She was too far away from Hinata's room to turn back. Whoever was out there would attack her by then.

The second hallway that she was heading for was nearby. A mere ten feet in front of her. She was close. She was running a bit faster. She didn't know why, but she felt that she would suddenly be safe if she were to reach that hallway and be out of the open.

So close. Five feet.

Three feet.

Two…

"Gotcha." A voice, unfamiliar to her ears sounded.

Sakura let out a sharp cry that was quickly covered by a large hand. It was only a matter of seconds later that she felt a hard pain flow through her back. She gasped into the hand covering her mouth and her vision began to tunnel. Her eyes slowly closed as she fell limp into the waiting arms of one of her captors.

Back in the room, Hinata heard Sakura sharp, partly muffled cry. She jumped up quickly. "Sakura." She whispered harshly and ran out of the room and down the hall.

It was then that she saw them. Two men, with visible purple bows tied around their waists. She ran forward and caught a sight of pink draped over one of their shoulders. It was in an instant that they disappeared over the wall surrounding the Hyuuga home.

"Oh no." Hinata whispered to herself. She immediately turned back and ran towards her room. She knew it was unsafe to chase the men by herself. The smartest thing to do was to inform Tsunade and form a team to leave immediately. She could only hope that they wouldn't leave the country.

She barged into her room and switched the light on without thinking. There were two groans as Ino and Tenten began to wake.

"Hinata? What the…" Ino was cut off by Hinata's frantic voice.

"Sakura's been kidnapped."

**Everything about the kidnappers will be explained in the next chapter. I really hope you guys enjoyed this. This is one of the…turning points. I can promise you one thing…this story is going to be LONG. I hope you don't mind that!**


	28. Lost and Found

**Oh! Everything will be explained and I will be killed (by you guys). But maybe by some small chance you'll let me live because I can and am promising you that the ending will be happy, Sasuke and Sakura, and all the other couples will happily be together. That I can promise. There are just some bumps along the way. And if I didn't have things how they are…here in this chap…then this story would honestly be very boring compared to what I want to do with it. I really can't explain how dull and lifeless it would be. How uneventful and how predictable it would be. Some things have to be sacrificed for the good of something else. But no matter what, no fan can sway me to chance my ideas! Unless they give me a good idea that is useable. **

**So please…don't complain, kill, hate, despise (me), or stop reading this story. It will get better. Besides, you all love me to much! I hope…**

"Hinata. Y-you're not serious are you?" Tenten asked as she began to pull the bed covers back so she could step out of bed. Hinata just nodded harshly, unable to speak for the moment. Tenten knew that the girl wasn't lying. Hinata would never lie about something like this, never. And the horrified look on her face just said it all.

"Damnit! We have to do something!" Ino complained. She as well got out of the bed and walked briskly towards the door. She didn't care that she was walking out in shorts that were a bit too short and were covered in chibi deer. She had to find out what happened to her friend.

"I'm going to inform Father. It would be best if the family scouted around the home to make sure that no one is still here." Hinata said after taking a deep breath. She tried to steady herself as she gripped the edge of her dresser. "And it would be best if Neji was informed too. He should join us if we are sent out to search." She said.

The two others just nodded, both slightly amazed with Hinata's leadership. It was obvious that she could take control even in a tight situation. That was all thanks to her improved confidence level. She had Naruto to thank for that.

"We'll get Neji." Tenten started. She looked at Hinata, almost unsure. "Did you see it happen?" she asked.

Hinata seemed to be on the brink of passing out. She stared blankly at her dresser. "Yes. I watched them take off. It would have been unsafe if I pursued them alone, so I thought it was best if I came to inform you guys." She shook her head slightly and looked up, her eyes now shining with determination. "Let's go now."

Ino and Tenten didn't say another word. The kunoichi's split off, Ino and Tenten going to get Neji and Hinata going to apprise her father.

The double pair made it to the Hyuuga prodigy's room. There was no time to knock. They had to hurry so they could rush off to find Sakura. Ino rushed in first, now freaking out since the information that her best friend was taken finally fully sank in. She ran, blindly, over to the large bed and practically jumped on top of the sleeping figure in it.

"Neji! Wake up!" she shouted. Neji made no noise as he sat up quickly. The startled movement woke him up instantly. Over by the door, Tenten fumbled around for the light switch. She found what she was looking for and turned the lights on, suddenly feeling bad when Neji cringed away form the bright lights.

"What?" he hissed out; clearly annoyed at the intrusion. He glared at each of the girls.

"Sakura's been kidnapped. Just now." Tenten explained as calmly as she could. Her hand was shaking slightly on its place on the light switch. She watched the shock wash over her crush's face.

"Here? On Hyuuga grounds? Shouldn't someone have noticed?" he questioned incredulously. Ino and Tenten both nodded their heads. Ino shrugged.

"We're just as confused as you are. Hinata went to tell Hiashi-sama right now. We have to inform Tsunade-sama, then I'm sure we'll put together a team to pursuit the kidnappers." The blonde said. She began to pace around the room, unsettled and anxious. She fidgeted and tried to fight the horrible knots that were winding in her stomach. "Hurry up and get dressed." She said, noting his half naked appearance.

Neji didn't hesitate to grumble for being told what to do. He found one of his normal ninja shirts and put it on quickly. Ino nearly dragged him from the room and the sound of Hinata's hurried footsteps could be heard coming towards the room.

The young Hyuuga girl stopped by her friends and cousin. "Father and some of the other family are scouting the area right now. He told me that we have to go inform Tsunade-sama right now."

No one vacillated to wait and the four were gone, running out of the Hyuuga home, out of the Hyuuga manor, and down towards the village.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Her emerald eyes, now dull with fatigue began to open. The harsh movements of her captor awoke her from her unconsciousness as she was set down against a wall. She could feel all the signs her body was giving her, telling her she was in danger. The hair on her arms stood on end over the goose-bumps. She could feel the hair on her neck stand up as well, a clear sign that something was wrong. She knew she wasn't at the Hyuuga estate anymore.

Almost cautiously, she glanced up at the face of her abductor, prepared to look away if any harm came her way. She was always cautious when looking a stranger, a dangerous stranger in the face, unaware if they had special techniques. Something like the sharingan that she had to avoid.

Instead of seeing ruby red eyes with swirled black irises, she glanced, however briefly, into the darkness of deep coal eyes. There was nothing there but black. No color, no light. The man's angular face was cocked to the side, an arrogant scowl on his face. Taking a deep breath, Sakura prepared herself for the worst. She began to take in her surroundings before she could plan an escape.

For one thing, she was tied up tight. Her legs bound together, her arms bound to her sides by a taut rope around her stomach. Then there were her hands, fettered by a special band. She could feel it was different, she could feel what it was doing to her.

She was extremely weak. She was struggling to keep her head up to narrow her eyes at the evil black haired man who was smirking back down at her. Her chakra was nearly completely drained, and the band around her wrists was preventing it from being restored. That was bad. Without chakra, she couldn't break out. Without chakra, she couldn't beat these guys to a bloody pulp.

"You are a cutie."

Those sounded like the vilest words she could have ever heard. He kidnapped her and dared to call her cute!? Her glare darkened. What could they want with her? She didn't possess any special skills, nor did she withhold any secrets of the village. So why was she taken?

"What do you want with me?" she was able to gasp out. She looked around the man and noticed the room. It wasn't anything fancy, a small shack by the looks of it. She could only guess that she was on the outskirts of some country. Hopefully it was the fire country, or the wind country. The sand ninja's were good allies and she was slightly known in the sand village after working in the hospital there for a little. That would be best. But when she looked at the slim figure of the raven haired man, she noticed something.

Damn purple bow.

Sound ninja. What would they want with her? The thought scared her and her thoughts immediately turned to Sasuke.

"Nah, we don't mean to hurt you. Unless it will come down to it." He started. We? What did he mean? There was another one? "No, you're just a pawn. We were sent to get you. Just to get information, and if possible, the main target."

"Who sent you?" Sakura asked with a bite.

Chucking, the man bent down, his shoulder length hair falling before his eyes. "Why should I tell you?" he teased. Sakura fought the urge to spit in his face.

"You were fine telling me everything else so far, why not continue?" she pushed, trying to get answered. She was attempting to turn the tables, get information out of him before he could get anything out of her. She wanted to try and struggle against the ropes, but her lack of strength prevented her from moving too much. She was too weak to try and she couldn't push herself into unconsciousness.

"You've got a good point. That time will come." He spoke, flashing his bright smile, teeth slightly crooked. "We have other business to attend to sooner." Before he was able to speak again, the shabby door was slammed open, the hinges squeaking in protest.

Sakura looked and noticed a larger man, muscles brimming out of his shirt. His face was pulled down in what looked like a permanent scowl. His brown eyes were narrowed as he turned to glare at both his partner and Sakura. The black haired man smirked towards his comrade. "Finished already?"

He replied with a grunt. There was a wooden chair sitting in the corner of the empty room. He sat in the chair and Sakura got a better look at him. His face was heart shaped, full out and mean looking. His hair, light brown was unkempt and shorter than his friends, but long enough to fall in front of his eyes. He sat forward, shielding his face his with light tresses and he stared at the floor. "Did you get anything from her?" he asked in a velvety voice.

"Nah, she just woke up. But I guess we should. I'm sure people are being sent out to find her, so the faster we start the more information we get."

Sakura turned her attention to the man in front of her, his playful face gone and now turned into one of serious attention. She stiffened, not knowing what to expect by the sudden emotion change. She didn't know what this guy's personality was like, and he looked all business now.

"I guess there's no avoiding it. Just cooperate and I don't have to get violent. If you don't give me the answers that I'm sure you have…well…let's just say things won't be pretty."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Ino didn't know whether to be furious, shocked, or to some extent, frightened. Within her, the emotions of her friend missing were brining to a boiling point. She was all too worried about that. But…what the Godaime had just said to her shook her even more.

"W-what?" she questioned.

"You heard me. There is no way you are going out at all." Tsunade said in a firm voice. Her amber eyes held nothing but concern. She turned to Neji. "I'll appoint you leader Neji. Recruit a team and head out. I'll form a team to search local areas." She explained. Neji nodded. Beside him, Ino scowled not liking the idea of being left behind.

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose, more concerned about her kidnapped pupil than being annoyed about being woken up. She leaned back in her chair. "I suggest that you gather up Kiba and Shikamaru." She said. Neji nodded his head. Hinata and Tenten fidgeted behind him, both wanting to go out and find Sakura.

"And also, the rest of team Kakashi. I'm sure they would like to know that their teammate is missing." She stopped, thinking for a moment before she persevered. "Just leave one person out of this. I don't think it would be best if Sasuke were to find out." She observed the faces of the other four, looking for a reaction. She looked mainly at Ino, who had her face scrunched up. "I don't want him to find out. He might find that he should have to go along to find her. And I would rather he didn't leave on a mission like this. He should be at Kakashi's house, so make a good excuse if he's awake." She said. They all nodded.

"Good. Ino, I suggest that you stay either with your parents or a friend. You don't need to be alone worrying so much in your condition." Ino frowned, biting her lip, her foot tapping impatiently against the floor.

"Alright dismissed."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

The knocking was consistent and Sasuke was sure that whoever it was was sure to break down the door if no one answered it soon. Too bad for him, he was left sleeping on Kakashi's couch so the banging wasn't all that far away. He had waited, ignoring the noise, waiting for either Kakashi or Genma to answer it. It was obvious that neither were going to do that and he was easily becoming annoyed.

Sighing deeply, he abandoned his bedding and stood up, his bare feet hitting the cool polished wood floor. His footsteps were silent as he made his way to the door. His hair was a mess, his clothes were slightly disheveled, but he didn't care. He was ready to punch whoever was on the other side of this door square in the face.

He opened the door without caution, knowing that if it was someone who was ready to attack him they would take one look at him and think twice. On the other side was a neatly put together, calm faced Shikamaru. He looked calm, but he knew the situation and he was worried for his friend. His face remained stoic when he noticed it was Sasuke, but the thought, _real troublesome_, crossed through his mind.

"Uh…is Kakashi home. He's needed for an emergency mission right now." Shikamaru spoke like a serious, ANBU or something. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, suspicion in the air. He nodded mutely and turned away to get the man.

It didn't take long for the white haired jounin to return beside the raven haired man. Kakashi looked fully awake and alert despite the late night hour. "Don't do anything stupid." He reminded Sasuke in a slight cheerful tone that just didn't belong in the moment before turning to Shikamaru.

They both stepped out of the house, the door being closed behind them. Shikamaru led them quickly down the dark streets, his pace a light run as they headed for the village gates, the destined meeting spot.

"What's the situation?" Kakashi asked as he kept pace with Shikamaru.

The lazy genius didn't answer right away, having been concentrating on the path ahead. "Sakura's been kidnapped."

Those words seemed to trigger a spark of anger in Kakashi and the man pushed himself faster, rushing ahead of Shikamaru who had to hurry to keep up. They didn't say anything else. The gates were in view now, the shinobi gathered for the search all set and waiting.

Kiba sat on Akamaru, looking blank as he avoided everyone else's eyes. Sai looked, blank as ever, and only a person who knew him all too well knew that he really was concerned about Sakura despite not being able to show it. Neji stood, his arms crossed as he waited impatiently. Tenten and Hinata both stood close together, brows pulled together with anxiety. Then, there was Naruto. He seemed to be in the worst shape, pacing back and forth while mumbling angrily about taking too long to get out. He glared at the earth beneath his feet, his hands twisted together. He looked messy from just waking up, or maybe it was his mad sense. He seemed thoroughly pissed, overly concerned, and worried beyond anything.

Neji was the first to speak once Shikamaru and Kakashi stood by the group. "We are to head due northeast." He elucidated. "According to Hinata, the shinobi were sound ninja."

The looks on the others faces read that Hinata had only told Neji and Tenten this. Naruto growled and continued to pace furiously. "Chances are that they are heading back for Otagakure. It is also possible that they are holding her within the country, just using her for information. It's unknown right now, but we must get going as soon as we have a good strategy." Neji turned his head to the strategy genius.

"Do you have any good ideas Shikamaru?"

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

The question really shouldn't have surprised her at all. She should have expected it from the sound ninja. But for some reason her stomach dropped and her throat constricted. She turned her head away, knowing it wouldn't help in preventing the blow she was expecting.

"It's really just a simple answer that you have to give us." The black haired man said. He kneeled down in front of her, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her attention on him. "Is Uchiha Sasuke-san staying in your village?"

It sounded stupid to Sakura. If these men were able to track her down, follow her, should they have noticed Sasuke with her? "Why don't you tell me." She answered smartly.

The crooked smirk that was on the man's face fell. "Well, according to Kabuto-sama he is indeed in the village. But we were instructed to snag you, and avoid Uchiha-san. Any encounter with him would be dangerous and basically suicidal." He interoperated. "Kabuto-sama said that if Uchiha-san was in the village, that if he was accepted back in, there was a small possibility that there would be a cute pink haired girl and an energetic blonde with him."

Sakura suddenly felt sick. Kabuto had always known too much about her and her team. He had always known that if Sasuke were to return, that she and Naruto would take less convincing to accept him again. And worst off, Kabuto knew of her feelings for Sasuke. That was a disadvantage on her side, so if he was after Sasuke, she was an easy target associated with him.

"And judging by your reaction, this seems to be true." Sakura didn't know what to do anymore. She could only deny the truth at this point. Deny knowing Sasuke and anything about his whereabouts. She shook her head dully. "Oh?" he went on. "He's not? Are you saying you don't know who Uchiha-san is?" Again she shook her head no.

"Well, well. What do you think Ryuuk?" he mused.

The big guy in the chair had been watching them closely. He simply shook his head. "She's lying." He said. His caramel colored eyes were tapered, looking right through her. She felt uneasy under his glare and it felt as if he were trying to make her burn. She was curious as to how he was able to tell she was lying so quickly. She wasn't the best liar, but her skills weren't terrible. She was good a fooling most people, at least to a point. But never had she had someone pick out her lie so easily.

She heard another chuckle from the ebony haired man. Sakura slowly turned to glare at him, but was cut off when a hand harshly slapped her across the face. A sound of pain escaped past her lips as she was sent down to the floor. She fell with a lump, unable to get up because of her bound hands. She fought the whimper that was lodged in her throat from the stinging pain in her cheek. Sakura was certain that the area would begin to welt soon.

"We don't need lies. Kabuto-sama gave permission to use any means necessary to get this information. If it comes down to beating it out of you, we won't hesitate." Came his course voice. She wanted to cringe. She was to either give them the information they wanted and possibly walk away or possibly not. Or she could refuse to say anything and be beaten.

The answer was simple. There was no way she would betray Sasuke. If it was anyone else, she would do the same thing. Sakura wasn't one to betray people. She would take the blows, but hold the fact that she was strong enough to not give in proudly. She would dissent telling them anything. She was strong. She knew someone had to be coming for her at this very moment. But already she was trying to come up with a way to get out. And her mind came up blank. She wasn't a strategist like Shikamaru.

"Not going to say anything huh?"

Sakura frowned and tried to sit up, ignoring the protest her tired muscles sent out. She grinded her teeth and frowned as she used her shoulder to inch her way up the wall behind her. When she was sitting up, she closed her eyes. "What do you want with him?" she questioned.

Eyes dazzling like liquid fire, the man smirked. "So you're going to cooperate huh?"

"Depends. What do you want with him?" she repeated.

She heard the irritated sigh and knew that he was getting restless. "If you must know, Kabuto-sama wants revenge for what Uchiha-san did. For killing Orochimaru-sama." He answered. "And as I said, you are the bait. You'll supply information, and serve as a nice little hostage. If Uchiha-san is sent out to get you, then we can easily swap you for him. And if not, then we can bargain with your rescuers and benefit just as much."

It sounded like they had this planned out. Besides the fact that there were only two of them. Knowing the Konoha ninja's, they could possibly strike first before there was time to negotiate.

"Now, once more. It's obvious that Uchiha-san in the village. We want as much information on him as possible."

The big man in the corner sat patiently, watching her expression. She could feel the nervousness pool in her stomach. Her breathing was inconsiderably erratic. _'Calm down.' _She told herself over and over. _'Just don't tell them anything. You'll be fine. They obviously won't kill you.'_ She continued on. A bit of pain would be worth keeping everything from these two. She wasn't going to willingly sell Sasuke out. He wouldn't do that to her. At least she didn't think he would.

She shook her head and looked down.

"Well then…I guess I might have to bring the pain level up a notch."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Alright, from here on we'll split up into two teams."

Neji looked around the circle at his team and formulated who would go with who. They had spent time looking around the closer proximities of the village. It was now time to expand their search towards the boarders of the country. They were all going to head up towards Otagakure, having confidence that the kidnappers went in that direction.

"We'll have Kakashi, Shikamaru, Tenten, and myself on one team. That means, Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, and Sai will make up the other team. I have two wireless radios on me so one person from each team will be able to keep contact with each other." Reaching into his weapons pouch, Neji pulled out two of the radio devices. He handed it to Kiba.

"We'll contact each other if we find anything or if something goes wrong. For now, we'll search around the fire country, and if we don't find anything," he paused for a second. "then it seems we may have no other choice but to enter the sound country."

There was silence for a few moments. There were nods of understanding. Over the horizon, the faint light of the rising sun could be seen. They had already used enough time talking; it was now time for searching.

"Alright. You all know the plan now, let's head out."

As the final words were said the whole group split into two and took to the trees in separate directions.

They had been searching, jumping the trees and straining their eyes for anything unusual for the past couple of hours. There was no time to stop, no time to rest. They pushed themselves further, past their limits, and to no end.

Naruto led the pack, more determined than anyone to find his lost friend. His eyes flashed, still their blue color only darker and seething furiously. When he pushed off the tree branches they swayed fiercely. He propelled faster and faster, determined to find Sakura. He could feel the fury rage inside of him, leaking out through ever pore of his body. He wanted to hurt whoever took Sakura, rip their every fiber, and destroy their being.

He wanted them dead.

"Easy Naruto! Don't get too far ahead!" Kiba shouted after him.

Naruto slowed, but not by much. "Don't worry how far I get, just try and keep up." He shouted back angrily.

Kiba glared at the blonde. At that sudden instant, something hit him. Not in a literal sense. He growled, a signal to Akamaru to stop on the next tree branch. The duo came to a stop and both of their noses immediately went into the air.

"You smell it too Akamaru?" Kiba asked his dutiful hound. The giant dog made a small noise and nodded his large head. Hinata stopped on the same branch, Sai not far from them. Up ahead, Naruto finally realized that the others stopped. He turned back around.

"What did you stop for!? We have to keep going!"

"Shut it idiot!" Kiba shouted back and took a deep breath in through his sensitive nose. "I think I've got something."

Naruto stopped immediately and listened to what Kiba was saying. He watched as the dog boy turned his direction to the left and sniffed the air once more. The others waited, wondering what he could be smelling.

"Well what is it!?" Naruto asked, now growing impatient.

The words came out as a soft whisper. "Sakura." Kiba grinned, amazed and relieved that he found her. He could smell her light floral scent and it was strong enough to lead him on. She wasn't far away. A good couple of miles at best. It seemed that she was taken in the direction of the sound country. "Hinata, use you byuakugan and see if you can find anything." He said as he pointed in the new direction he was heading.

"Alright." She said nodding. With a quick hand seal, she closed her pale lavender eyes and muttered her blood line trait. The veins appeared and a new determined look on her face appeared. They began to travel in the direction Kiba directed them in, and after a few moments Hinata spoke. "There. A couple miles ahead is a small shack. There appears to be about two or three people in there." She said.

Naruto and Kiba both smirked and pushed forward. Even Sai pushed harder, determined to get to the place. It had to be Sakura. There was no doubt in any of their minds.

"They really didn't go far." Naruto said as he realized they were only just over half way between the village and the border. That was a lucky break.

"Nah. It might have been planned like that." Kiba said.

For the rest of the way, they didn't say anything and just pushed themselves faster, trying to get to Sakura as fast as they could.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"You're really determined to keep everything from us aren't you?"

Sakura refused to look at the fierce face and instead looked disgustedly at a new bruise forming on her arm. Her cheek was swollen; she was covered in bruises and minor cuts. She was steadily growing weaker, her chakra nearly drained. She could feel herself on the brink of passing out. She was surprised that she hadn't yet. But when the time came, she would have to fight to keep her eyes open. She wanted to stay awake and keep watch for any escape that made itself available.

"Just a little information. We already informed you on enough about ourselves. Now we need a little more information on Uchiha-san."

She wanted to block out the words. They barely registered in her mind, but she did hear them. She still refused to say anything. She would take any form of abuse, there was just no way she would betray Sasuke. She loved him too much to do that.

"Hit her again. We'll just keep on beating it till it's out of her." Came Ryuuk's words. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, preparing the attack. Another slap to the face, that's what she was expecting. That seemed to be his favorite place to hit her.

"How about a place that will hurt just a bit more."

The words were said, and before Sakura could do anything about it….it was all over.

She gasped, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and pain. It felt like slow motion as she felt over onto her side, cringing in pain. It was the blow of the kick that sent the first wave of pain. The air escaped her lungs and she fought to catch her lost breath. The pain then turned sharp, pinpointed in one area. Her stomach ached now from the force of the kick, but the sharp pains were in her lower stomach. Tears built up in her eyes and her arms struggled against the chakra band, wanting to clutch her aching tummy.

"Looks like that one did some damage."

She hissed in anguish. The tears overflowed and fell down her distended cheek. A sob racked her body and her body began to shake. She didn't want to think of what happened. Of the possibilities. The fact that she could have just lost…

A loud slamming noise filled the air followed by her captor's shouts of profanity. She could hear her name being called, but her consciousness was slipping from her loosening grasp. Her eyes closed just in time for her to see the bright orange of her best friend's attire. For the first time since she's been kidnapped, she felt safe.

"Sakura!"

Naruto watched as Sakura's eyes closed. It felt like he was just dipped in ice water. He was praying to every Kami out there that she had just passed out and that the worst wasn't possible.

"You Konoha punks!" the two others attempted to get in-front of Sakura's unconscious body, but Naruto charged forward first. His eyes, now a smoldering ruby, glared at the men as he growled at them both.

"What did you do to her?" he demanded as he cautiously touched his friend's face. He noticed her wounds and felt the angry fire race through him. He turned to them in a stance that signaled that he was ready for a fight.

Kiba and Akamaru were both growling, upset by the condition of Sakura. They were both ready to tear the two men apart. Hinata was in shock, her pale eyes wide with fright at her friend. She stood back, unsure of what to do. And Sai. Sai was blank looking. He looked completely…unreadable. His hand moved to his stomach, which felt hot and angry. He questioned himself on what this could be. What he was…feeling. He had never felt anything like this before, anything at all. He wanted to hurt the two for hurting Sakura. He wanted them dead. It was a whole new feeling for him.

"You're both dead." Naruto muttered darkly, preparing to pounce forward. The kidnappers took a step back, slightly fearing the new look in his eye. They knew this kid was serious.

The smaller one grew more confidence. "Look kid, let's make a deal. In exchange for something, we'll let you take her unharmed." He bargained.

No one looked interested. "The only thing I will accept is your dead bodies in exchange for what you did to her." Kiba snarled.

The two men looked at each other. "Looks like we're not going to avoid a fight. Oh well, we were expecting this." The both turned more confident, smirking. "Come and get us then."

Naruto's eyes flashed at the offer. "Kiba take Sakura back to the village." Naruto instructed, having taken up the leadership role.

"But…" Kiba began to protest, wanting to fight. He looked at the blonde, who didn't take his eyes off of his targets.

"She needs to get to the hospital. You're the fastest one and with Akamaru, you'll get there faster than any of us could." The blonde said.

Kiba hesitated for a moment, but realized that he was right. He moved around and carefully picked Sakura up in his arms and he took his place on Akamaru. "You sure you'll be ok?" he questioned.

Naruto nodded and looked at Hinata and Sai. "Yeah we'll be fine." Both nodded in response.

"Alright." Kiba said and took off out the door. The two men watched him go, not bothering to go after him. Their only concern now was to escape being that their mission was a failure. The looked around for an escape seeing that the door was blocked off.

"There's no where to run now." Naruto said darkly and in an instant he charged after them both.

**So…it's short. I'm really sorry about that. And I'm sorry about what I had to do. And I'm sorry about taking forever. I've been so caught up in everything that I didn't have time. Between school, getting a boyfriend, more school work, a new video game, breaking up with that boyfriend, one of my best friends leaving. Everything is chaotic right now. So I'll try to get another update ASAP. **


	29. Don't go

**I really can't express my thanks to all of you. I'm glad that you are enjoying this, even though I have chocked it full of tragedies and suspense that would kill any weakling. I'm glad you're all strong! So please….don't hate me. That's my only request. There will be SasuSaku in this chap to cover up the bad stuff. **

**Disclaimer: I think one of my ultimate fantasies would be to see Itachi dancing around in a hula skirt while Kisame played a ukulele and the rest of the Akatsuki danced the Macarena in the background. Yeah… **

"Neji! Neji I've got Sakura!" Kiba shouted into the wireless headset. Akamaru jumped as fast as he could towards the village, careful not to slip or do anything reckless. Kiba held Sakura's unconscious body close to his chest, wishing that she would wake up.

There was some crackling of static and then he heard his team leader's voice. "Really? What about the others?"

Kiba gulped, and then wondered how the others were holding up. "They stayed back to try and capture the enemy." He reported hurriedly. He inwardly growled at the endless stream of trees. He wanted them to stop and he wanted to the village gates to appear. He wanted to get Sakura help. He wasn't completely sure about her condition, but he was sure it wasn't good.

Just then, the headset must have been ripped from Neji because it was Kakashi's voice that came over next. "What's Sakura's condition?" He sounded calm, but there was a hint of eagerness in his voice that Kiba knew right away came from concern.

"She's…." he didn't know what to tell him. He was just thankful that he wasn't around to face Kakashi's fury. "They beat her. She covered in bruises and...and..." As Kiba looked back down at the girl, his eyes grew wide. He had already smelt the scent of her blood before, but he had never noticed the trails of blood seeping through her shorts and dripping down her leg. He growled as a signal for Akamaru to speed up.

"Kiba! Kiba what is it?" Kakashi demanded.

What scared Kiba the most was that it was fresh blood. Like blood from an open wound. He had no idea what it was from, but all he knew was that Sakura needed medical attention as soon as possible.

"S-Sakura. S-she's…bleeding." He gulped. "There's blood running down her leg." He said in a whisper.

He never received another word from the other line.

It took them forty-five minutes. Those long, drawn out forty-five minutes that seemed to take an eternity.

Then the village gates finally came into view.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Genma had business to attend to that morning. He walked Sasuke back to Sakura's home, but they found no one home. The raven haired man remembered that she was staying at Hinata's. So now Genma had to find someone else he could stay with. Sasuke racked his brain for someone suitable.

"Why don't I go to the Hyuuga manor?" he suggested. It wasn't the best idea to show up at the Hyuuga house uninvited. That wouldn't be appropriate, especially seeing that it was him, the most famous village traitor. But he could make up an excuse that he was there to get Sakura. It was believable. And if Sakura didn't want to leave he could offer to train with Neji. He needed someone worthy to train against.

"I guess you could. You said my baby doll is there right?" Genma asked as the pair began to walk briskly down the street. More people were filling up the roadway as the morning grew later.

Sasuke grimaced at the words 'baby doll' but and nodded stiffly. He had never realized the possessive feeling when he heard someone call Sakura a pet name. It's not like he had any special pet name for her. She was just his girlfriend. He shook off the unwanted feeling and pressed on, walking a bit faster.

Just up ahead, a door was shoved open and a frantic blonde emerged, dragging behind her a large brunette haired man. The girl looked crazed, like she hadn't slept and was panicking over something. And the man looked worried and scared at the same time.

"Ino please calm down." Chouji asked as he was drug down the street. Ino paid him no mind and continued to make her way down the crowding road. Then, she spotted the raven chicken hair and gasped.

"Sasuke!" she shouted loudly, making everyone in the street stop and look at her. She ignored them all and rushed over to the startled boy.

Sasuke gave her a confused look. If Ino was already back from Hinata's, then where was Sakura?

"Where's…." His words were cut off as she grabbed his wrist and began to drag him and Chouji down the street.

"I'll look after him Genma!" She promised the flabbergasted man. Genma stood stupidly in the middle of the street and watched them go, unable to say anything to her. He shook his head and looked down at his watch.

"Aw damn I'm late!"

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Sasuke had no idea where he was being dragged to. Ino was determined to get somewhere, but he didn't know where that was. She had released both him and Chouji from her death grasp and was walking as fast as she could in front of them both. He glanced over at Chouji with a questioning look, but the man looked away, avoiding Sasuke's eye.

"Where are we going?" he whispered to Chouji, taking the safe route away from asking Ino. The girl would most likely yell at him then ask him why he doesn't know.

The bigger man mumbled something and walked ahead. Sasuke was sure he heard, "You'll find out." That made him all the more curious.

So they walked on in almost silence. Ino's mindless muttering and the sounds of the commotion on the streets was all that filled their ears. They turned down a new street and Sasuke recognized this route as the path to the hospital. He frowned.

"Ino what's going on?" he demanded. She didn't stop or turn to face him. She didn't give him an answer at all, but practically ran to the hospital doors. She was obviously too keen to get to the hospital for whatever reason to answer him. And Sasuke had a bad feeling. He knew something was wrong, and he had a good idea that it had something to do with Sakura.

The trio entered the hospital. The sterile surroundings seemed stiff. The environment seemed ordinary and calm, nothing out of the normal sense. Ino approached the front desk and started demanding things that didn't fully register in Sasuke's mind at first.

"What room is Haruno Sakura in?" she asked. Her eyes were glazed with worry and her hands clenched and un-clenched at her sides. Chouji rubbed her forearm comfortingly. He glanced nervously at Sasuke who looked blank as ever. Though he didn't know of Sasuke and Sakura's relationship, he knew that anyone would be upset to find that their teammate had been kidnapped and was now in the hospital.

"I'm sorry. I can't give out any information right now. She's still being treated." The red-haired nurse said. She gave Ino an apologetic look, but Ino didn't back down. She opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see the anxious face of Kiba.

"Kiba." She half whispered. "How is she? What's going on!?" she asked. Kiba turned and walked back over to his seat by Akamaru. He slumped into the chair and put his head in his hands.

"I don't know much. Hokage-sama came to personally treat her." He said. Ino looked relieved and she took the seat next to him with a long sigh. Chouji sat next to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

They say there in silence, unsure of anything to say. A shadow overcastted Ino and she looked up to see an annoyed Sasuke. Her brows pulled together. She didn't want to tell him what was going on. She knew she could now. When Shizune called her to tell her that Sakura was in the hospital, she said that if she saw Sasuke, to bring him along. Tsunade thought it would be best for him to know about the situation now that Sakura was safely back in the village. But she just didn't want to tell him.

"Will someone tell me what's going on with Sakura?" he asked in a darkly composed voice. All three of them looked up at him, and then quickly averted their eyes. The deep pools of coal were serious as he demanded an explanation.

"Sakura…she…" Ino started, but trailed off. She looked at her companions for support.

A blonde was then walking down the hallway on her way to meet the four. The front doors to the hospital opened and a tall shinobi ran inside. He was about to run to the front desk when he caught sight of Tsunade. The four watched as he approached the Hokage and the two exchanged words. After a few minutes, he nodded and gave her a small bow before exiting the building.

The Godaime looked grim as she approached them. She observed them all closely before she said anything. "It appears that your teammates have just arrived in the village. They're on their way over here right now." She spoke. Tsunade looked more annoyed than anything. She looked angry, concerned, worried, and many other things all at the same time. "Once everyone's here we'll all get a full explanation."

So they waited. It was an uncomfortable silence. They avoided looking at each other. Kiba and Ino fidgeted nervously. Chouji tried to soothe his female teammate, but he failed. And Sasuke. He waited impatiently, his foot tapping against the floor. He refused to sit down and was leaning against the wall. He just wanted to know what was going on. It felt like no one wanted him to know.

"Tsunade-sama. I just need to know. She's alright, right?" Ino asked softly. Tsunade looked at the overly worried girl and slowly nodded her head.

"Physically, yes she's fine. I've treated her injuries and…did everything I could." She started. Ino held her breath and her fingers dug into both Chouji's and Kiba's arms. None of the men got wind of what she meant. Ino wasn't fully sure, but what Tsunade had said didn't sound good for another thing.

"Mentally, I'm not sure. She hasn't said a word. She won't tell me anything, though I can't blame her. I did…kind of blow up at her." Tsunade explained shamefully. She ignored the confused looks. She wasn't going to explain why she exploded to any of them. Though she was sure Ino already knew.

"Why did you…?" Kiba started but was interrupted when the doors opened a stream of shinobi rushed in. The whole team was there from Hinata to Kakashi. Ino stood up and nearly knocked Shikamaru over from the force of the hug she gave him. She was just so happy to see him again.

"Would you all settle down? I'd like to talk to you all at once." Tsunade said. They all took their seats at once. Chouji moved by Kiba so Ino and Shikamaru could sit by each other. Naruto sat on the edge of his seat by Shikamaru with Hinata right next to him. She glimpsed at him every now and then. Next to Hinata was Tenten and then Neji. Lastly was Sai. Then there was Kakashi who, like Sasuke refused to sit and leaned against the wall by the avenger instead.

Once everyone was listening, Tsunade started. "Now, I'm sure you're all concerned about Sakura. But no worry, she's fine." She said assuring. Most of them looked relived. Behind the mask, Kakashi held a sullen look. Sasuke held a similar look. Naruto wasn't looking too great either. "And as far as the kidnappers go, I heard you successfully captured them and brought them here."

She received a few nods. Tsunade didn't speak, as if wanting an explanation. Neji started. "Yes, Naruto, Hinata, and Sai held the men off for a while until my team was able to locate them. Once we got there, there wasn't much left to the men courtesy to Naruto." Neji said and threw a disgruntled look at the blonde. "But we were able to bring them back for interrogation."

Tsunade nodded. "Alright. Do you know anyth…"

"Can we save the explanation for the mission report?" Naruto asked with a bite. He glared at the floor and was practically shaking with anxiety. Hinata rubbed his back soothingly.

The Godaime smirked at his eagerness to see his friend. "Of course. I'll show you to Sakura's room, but I'll have to ask if she wants to see anyone. She…hasn't said a word since she's been in here." Tsunade turned around and motioned for the others to follow. Naruto bolted out of his chair and led the rest behind Tsunade down the hallway.

They had to go upstairs to the next floor. They were led down a long, busy hallway. Nurses walked around with clipboards and doctors roamed from room to room. A sign hung from the ceiling that read 'Recovery.'

About halfway down the hall, the Hokage stopped outside a door. Number 328. "You'll go in two at a time." She explained. "If she wants to see anyone." The amber eyed woman opened the door and slipped inside. They waited for a few minutes before she emerged again. She wasn't smiling but she said, "Alright. Like I said two at a time."

Right away Naruto reached for the door handle. "Naruto. You'll be going in last."

"What!?"

"I want your whole team in there so we can all talk." She elucidated. He glowered silently. "I'll make an exception for the two at a time. Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji. You three can go in first." She said. Ino didn't hesitate when she opened the door. The three entered and walked into the room.

Ino held tight to both Shikamaru and Chouji's hands, glad to have their support. She looked at her friend.

Sakura seemed paler than usual. Her jade eyes were dim and inert. Her hair was messy and tangled. She adorned no scars from her injuries, thanks to Tsunade. Just looking at her, you wouldn't have thought she'd been beaten. You'd think she was food deprived or something. Her face was turned away, and she stared out the window, into the dimness of the cloudy day.

Ino approached the bed. "Sakura?" she whispered. It was all slow motion as Sakura turned to Ino and looked at her with her piercing, empty eyes. Ino was taken aback. She frowned and cursed the men that did this to her best friend. This wasn't how Sakura was supposed to be. She was supposed to be among the nurses and doctors treating the patients, she wasn't supposed to be a patient.

The blonde couldn't resist as she leaned down to hug Sakura. She held the girl tight, not wanting to let go. This just wasn't supposed to happen! Where was her Sakura? The Sakura she loved? She couldn't be destroyed. She had to still reside somewhere in this broken Sakura.

Shikamaru put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder and she reluctantly let go of the pink haired girl. Shikamaru placed a hand on Sakura's head and gave her a small smile. "Please get well. Mainly for Ino and Naruto. I think they'll go insane if you don't return to normal. But for all of us." He said. Sakura nodded slightly.

Chouji walked up beside him and smiled down at her. "I'm glad you're ok." He said. Once again she nodded. She wanted to smile back, but she just couldn't. She couldn't find it inside of herself to smile.

"We'll come back later to visit." Ino promised. "I really want to talk to you. But we don't have a lot of time. There are others to see you." She said. She smiled lovingly at her friend and gave her one last hug. "Please…get better."

Once they left the room, Hinata and Kiba went in. Both were shocked to see Sakura in the condition she was in. Both hugged her tightly and asked her to get better. That seemed to be what everyone wanted. Hinata apologized for not getting to her sooner when she was kidnapped, but Sakura just shook her head, using body signals to explain that it was ok. She never once said a word.

Next was Tenten and Neji. That was a short visit. Neji didn't say anything which wasn't much of a surprise. Tenten asked how Sakura was doing, (Sakura just shrugged) then she told her to get better, (Sakura nodded) and she promised that they would visit again, (Sakura nodded once more).

And lastly there was her team. Tsunade waited for the rest to leave before she allowed the team to enter the room. Naruto went in first, followed by Kakashi, Sai, and Sasuke. Tsunade followed the rest of them.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto was the first one to the bed. He sat on the edge and looked at Sakura, unsure of what to say. Sakura looked briefly at each of them, and then lastly she looked at Sasuke, stopping there and just gazing at him. He looked back, not sure of what to do, of what to say. He said nothing and leaned against the wall opposite of the bed.

Sai sat in the chair next to the bed and Kakashi leaned against the wall next to Sai. Both looked on at Sakura with concern. Tsunade sighed and moved over to the bed and forced Naruto over a bit so she could sit by him. Naruto grabbed Sakura's hand, feeling how cold it was and then cupped it between both of his to help warm it up.

"For the one who doesn't know," Tsunade started, looking straight ahead at Sasuke. "During her stay at the Hyuuga home, Sakura was abducted."

Sasuke glared, now pissed that no one told him. "And no one had the decency to tell me?" He said.

Tsunade shook her head no. "I knew not to tell you because you would get angry. I knew you would feel obligated to go after them and I wasn't going to allow you on another mission at this time." She said. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Really, what did she know?

As if she read his mind, Tsunade spoke again. "I'm really not all that clueless either. I'm not as _blonde_ as some may think I am. You and Sakura are close. There is something going on between you two. Am I right?" she asked. Sasuke didn't answer, but glared at the Hokage.

"And it's not because of the information I have now. I knew before. I knew there was something up. Sakura didn't seem as…angry or upset with you. She seemed almost…elated whenever she heard your name." Tsunade looked at him seriously, waiting to see some hint that pointed out that she was correct.

The rest of the team was silent, already knowing of the two's relationship. But Tsunade knew one more step that only one other person knew about. And he was desperate for information on that subject.

Sakura turned her look away from all of them and returned it to the dirt gray sky. The clouds began to grow dark as the first few raindrops began to fall. She took in a deep breath and released it while closing her eyes.

"But…" Tsunade started again. She caught the team's attention once more and she looked at each of them. She gave Kakashi a knowing look, trying to tell him without words. She turned back to Sakura. "Would you like to tell them? Or do you want me to do it?" she asked.

Sakura slowly turned back to her teacher. Sakura had the saddest look on her face, a frightened look. She looked at Sasuke nervously and shook her head no. Tsunade nodded.

The time was now. To reveal the truth. They would have all found out eventually, and it was best to get it over with. Especially in Sasuke's case. Tsunade hesitated for a moment. She looked over at the team leader. "Did you already know about this Kakashi?" she asked.

He nodded stiffly. "I've had my talk with her. I'm sure you have too. We can't change the past, and we can't bring back what's been lost." He said. It was obvious that he already knew what had happened. Tsunade assented.

Naruto was confused, unsure of what they were talking about. He looked between Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sakura, wishing someone would just tell him. Sai as well was confused. He sat there with his brows furrowed, wondering what they could be talking about. And Sasuke was confused, not to mention frustrated that they were taking so long to tell them what they wanted to say.

"Sakura was pregnant."

Though it felt like he'd been struck in the gut with a kunai when the words were said.

"What!?" Naruto shouted, standing up off the bed. His breathing became erratic and he stared down at Sakura in disbelief. He looked almost angry. Most likely because she never told him. His gaze turned to Sasuke. He glared at him, long and hard. He noticed Sasuke's shocked expression and didn't know what to think. "Teme! You did this to her?"

Sasuke was in shock. He had never suspected it. He wondered how he never picked up on it, especially with the sharingan in his favor. He didn't know what to say. His look went right past Naruto and to Sakura.

Naruto's anger melted away in an instant when a small sob escaped the small girl. He sat down and brought her up to his chest, cradling her to him and rocking them both gently.

Sai remained blank. "What do you mean by 'was'?" he asked.

"The baby was lost." Tsunade said straightforward. It was silent for a few moments. The only sounds were Sakura's soft cries. She clung to Naruto, crying into his chest.

Finally there was movement, and the door opened and shut. Tsunade stood up, not daring to look at Sakura's expression. "I'll talk to him." She said.

Kakashi watched as Tsunade walked out after Sasuke. He sighed and shook his head. He sat on the other side by Sakura and stroked her hair. Sai moved to sit on the foot of the bed.

"You knew about this didn't you Kakashi?" Naruto questioned. The jounin nodded and continued to try to calm Sakura down. "Sakura-chan." Naruto said quietly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The girl's sobs had stopped and she looked up at him, her cheeks wet with tear trails, and her eyes, still moist with unshed tears. She shrugged her shoulders, refusing to say anything. She couldn't and didn't want to find her voice. She didn't want to say anything to anyone. At this moment, she desperately wanted Sasuke to get back in this room. She was afraid. Afraid that he would leave her because of this new information. Not only did she keep this secret from him, she lost the baby. She lost their child. There was no telling how he would react. Would he still want to be with her? Even if it wasn't her fault that the baby was gone, what would he think?

Outside the room, Tsunade marched down the hall after Sasuke. She was mad that he left. Mad that he didn't say anything to Sakura. Mad that he walked right out when Sakura needed him the most. And now she was sure he was planning on doing something stupid.

"Uchiha get your ass back here!" she growled, disregarding the startled looks from some of the nurses. Sasuke never stopped. She walked faster and grabbed his shoulder, forcefully turning him around to face her. Her gave her the darkest of looks and shrugged her hand off. He stepped back against the wall and waited to hear her words.

"Where do you plan on going right now? As far as I know you're still supposed to be under watch." She said sternly. He shrugged passively. Tsunade moved to the opposite wall and they began to stare each other down. "So, explain some things to me."

His eyes bore into the woman in front of him. His lips were pulled into a tight thin line. "What do you want to hear?" he asked. A nurse slipped by quickly between the two, sensing the obvious tension in the air.

"That was your child was it not?" Tsunade asked.

Sasuke shrugged again. "Unless Sakura slept with another guy behind my back, then yes." Tsunade's growl was audible and her glare darkened.

"Sakura isn't that kind of girl. So it's safe to assume that it was yours. She hasn't said a word, and I can't get anything from her. But besides that, I already know how it happened, but when?"

Tsunade was frustrated. She was having a hard time taking in all of the information and having to deal with its affects. She was surprised by the discovery of everything with her student. Never would she have thought anything like this would happen with Sakura. The small, pink haired beauty. The one that boys swooned over, but she was too much of a good girl to date any of them.

Sasuke took a deep breath and willed his self to talk. "Almost two months ago." He said in an emotion deprived voice. "We both got drunk. It was both of our faults." He interpreted. To Tsunade, that made perfect sense.

"You didn't know did you?" she asked.

He hesitated for a moment. "…No."

Now they were getting somewhere. "And that's bothering you isn't it?"

His mouth remained close and his eyes were averted from hers. His eyes were narrowed at the ceiling and he was fighting the frustration that was built up inside of him.

Time passed and a few more nurses and doctors passed by between the two. "You need to go see her." Tsunade concluded. Sasuke already knew that. But he didn't know how to comfort someone. He didn't know what he was supposed to say.

"I know that." He said harshly. Tsunade picked up the hesitation in his voice and formulated his problem.

"Sasuke." She said, her voice now softer. She wanted to help; she wanted Sakura to be happy. She would aid the pair in any way she could. "You don't have to say anything to her. Just be there with her. She needs you now more than ever. With you running right now, think of the things that are going through her head! She probably thinks you're going to leave her!"

That thought had never gone through his mind. Wasn't one of her biggest fears him leaving her again? This whole situation was messed up.

And how did he feel?

How would anyone feel after just finding out that you were going to have a kid, then that very next instant you find that it was taken from you? He was deeply frustrated and angry. Furious was a good word for it. Just knowing the fact that some other man had killed his child…it infuriated him. It made his insides crawl with the instinct to kill. He wanted revenge. That part of his life that he thought would leave him seemed to begin to consume him once more. That was his child. That was part of him that was killed. And to make things worse…the fact that they took Sakura. Beat her for whatever reason, just made it that much worse. When he thought of another man touching Sakura, hurting her in any way…

Could it be? Was it possible that he was developing feelings for her?

No. It couldn't happen. He didn't need bonds that might have to one day be severed. It was unsafe to have strong bonds. Or any bonds in general. He couldn't let any feelings that he could possibly possess for her overtake him. It would impact him in the worse ways. Sacrifices would have to be made if that happened. He had to suppress his feelings…if they did exist at all. He didn't love. He couldn't love. He wouldn't love.

But he would be there for her. He didn't need to have feelings to be there for someone. Sai was the perfect example of that. The boy possessed very little, if no emotions. Yet he was in that room with Sakura. Sasuke was capable of giving her the needed affection she required. And he would try to be the boyfriend she needed. He might not be able to fully love her, but he would try to give her a satisfactory life. A better life than what she had had.

And maybe he could get her to talk.

Slowly he pushed off the wall and walked back to the room, hands in his pockets.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Neji and Hinata rushed home to escape the rain. They were both soaked and wanted nothing more than to get inside somewhere dryer and warmer.

When they reached the large estate they ran inside the home. The pair stood in the doorway, not wanting to leave trails of water throughout the house. When they thought it was safe enough they both began to make their way towards the halls to their rooms.

Hiashi must have known they came home because he was coming in to meet them. "Hinata, Neji. I would like to talk to you both." He said. In his hands he held two small towels. He offered them to the duo. Neji and Hinata gladly took the towels and began to dry themselves off as they followed Hiashi into the sitting room.

Hiashi took a seat in the large squishy armchair across from the couch where Hinata and Neji sat. They were both wondering what he would want to talk about.

"There was a family meeting this morning." He started. "The discussion was of who will take over the position as head of the family."

Now both were listening intently. This was an important subject for both of them.

"We debated this subject for a long time." He said, looking at them both seriously. "We were in there for hours, trying to come to some conclusion."

Hinata was at the edge of her seat. "Did you get a conclusion Father?" she asked eagerly. She hoped, prayed that they were going to allow Neji to become the new Head. He would be better suited, he would be better for it!

"Well now, don't get ahead of me." Hiashi said, trying to get his daughter to calm down. Hinata sat back listened patiently. "Now Hinata, though I'd rather you not, you would like to pass on your position to Neji. That's understandable since Hinabi isn't eligible to take over. And Neji is the closest relative you have that can take over." He said. She nodded. Neji sat in silence, his arms crossed with a stony expression.

"It's just been hard. Many weren't sure if someone from the branch family should take over. It would go against the Hyuuga tradition." Hiashi said. By the sound of his voice, it seemed that he argued in favor for Neji. "But there were good points that were…convincing." He said. There was a pause before he continued. "Neji, you just may be better suited than Hinata to take over due to your calm composure. You would probably work better under pressure."

Hinata understood what he meant. She would normally break down under a lot of pressure. She wasn't used to a ton of stress, and she wasn't fond of it. Neji was definitely better on that part.

"The fact that you could work more efficiently is a plus. Not to mention, you have sparked interest in many family's eyes. You are the prodigy, and your skills are impressive." He said with a small smile. "And you too Hinata. Your skill has grown to an impressive rate. You've trained hard everyday and you have certainly become stronger. I'm proud of you." He said. Hinata smiled shyly at the complement. "And I trust your better judgment, so if you say that Neji would be better suited then I must agree with you. As many of the others do."

Hinata's head shot up. "Does that mean?"

Hiashi nodded. "It took nearly two hours but we've reached a decision." He said looking straight at the stoic boy. "Neji we've decided to allow you to take over as head of the family." He declared proudly.

Hinata clapped her hands together and beamed at her cousin. "Neji! That's great, congratulations!" she said happily. Beside her, Neji just smirked and inwardly beamed with triumph. Now that was a major ego boost.

"Yes, it is great." Hiashi said, standing up. He walked over to Neji and shook the younger boy's hand. "I believe this is the right decision. And if possible, Hinata can assist you if you ever need the help." He said. Both Neji and Hinata nodded in agreement.

Hiashi turned to leave. Right before he exited the room, when he was standing in the doorway, he turned back and looked over his shoulder. With a small smirk he said, "And you have three months to find someone to wed Neji. Don't forget that." He then left the room.

That was like a punch in the gut. Neji froze, and then groaned. Hinata smiled at him apologetically. "It won't be all that bad." She assured him. He looked at her disbelievingly. She turned away and tried to gather her words. "I mean, you'll have someone by your side. Someone that will be there for you." She said.

He looked skeptical. "Yes, and if I don't find someone in three months that means I will be spending the rest of my life with someone I didn't choose, and most likely a stuck up bitchy woman." Hinata's eyes grew wide with Neji's choice of words. He didn't swear very often and just hearing him say the word 'bitchy' was unusual.

"Well, then the time to start finding someone is now." Hinata said. She now felt back for putting Neji in this position. But he accepted and they both knew it was for the better.

"Yes. But you do know that the whole purpose of the head of the family to have a spouse is for the mere intention of producing an heir." He said glumly. With this new position came responsibilities and a major break introduction into the real adult world.

"That's true." Hinata said softly. She could see Tenten's face in her mind. The face that longed for the attention from her cold cousin. "Do you have anyone in mind at all though?" she questioned, wondering if she could get information out of him. "I mean, do you like anyone?" she rephrased.

Neji didn't answer for the longest time. He leaned forward and rested his chin on his closed fists. Did he have someone in mind? He had never thought of relationships or any emotions that he could possibly hold for anyone. He traced back, thinking if there was any time that he had felt anything for any girl he had been around. There wasn't anything in particular. He never felt an attraction for any girl really. Or he had never noticed it.

Then it hit him….

"Hinata." He asked, his voice deep and serious. "What does it feel like to be in love? Or to like someone?"

Hinata was thrown off by the question. She looked at his concentrating face curiously. "Well, you feel happy of course." She explained. "you feel warm and…and tingly I guess. That's the best way I can describe it. You want to be around that person, and you trust that person more than many other people. You feel a need to protect them, and you would do anything you could for them." She said. The lavender eyed girl smiled as she said this, her own thoughts turning to Naruto. She missed him deeply, and she wanted nothing more than to be with him. She hoped that her father would allow her to see him again.

Neji, though, was debating about something else. He had felt some of these symptoms before. They had started before, when he was younger. When he was about fifteen. And they had progressively gotten stronger. They weren't extremely strong, they were really just there, simmering deep inside of him. He had acknowledged them, very rarely, and never thought anything of them. But he had never had those feelings when he was around anyone else. Only her.

So was it possible? Possible that Neji was falling in love with someone?

Then he pictured her. When she was happy and smiling. Bright and laughing. She had a bit of an attitude, but that was who she was. He liked attitude. It showed that she was independent and wasn't going to take any bull from anyone. She had the perfect balance of girl aspects and boyish perspective. She was…perfect. To him at least.

"Neji?" Hinata said while waving a hand before his face. "Did you think of someone?" she asked.

Neji shook his head and sighed. "Yeah." He said quietly. Hinata beamed.

"Who is it?" she asked with added zest.

He didn't know if he should say anything to her. He wasn't sure if she would keep her mouth shut. But, if he asked, Hinata was sure to not say anything. But what if he was wrong. What if his feelings were mistaken? No. He was sure about this. Sure about his feelings.

"I promise I won't say anything to anyone." Hinata swore sincerely.

Neji believed her words. He waited another seconds before he opened if mouth and muttered one name. "Tenten."

**XxX**

Sasuke opened the door to Sakura's room and sighed a deep breath before he entered. He didn't know what he was going to say to Sakura. He would more than likely heed Tsunade's words and not say anything or very little.

He walked in to find Sakura clinging to Kakashi's arms. Her right hand was entwined with Naruto's. And Sai was on her other side, hand on her shoulder.

He cleared his throat to signal his presence and received a nasty look from Naruto. That was expected. He vacillated in the doorway and forced himself to walk in. He slowly walked over to the bed and stood before Sakura. The fragile girl sniffed and looked up at his unreadable face. She looked scared. Truthfully, Sasuke didn't want to see that face. He wanted to see her smiling face instead.

He extended his hand and held it in front of her, offering it to her. He wished that she would accept it. The room was silent and to Sakura, everyone else seemed to disappear into the background. She looked from his outstretched hand and up to his face.

And she caught the ghost of a smile.

That set it off as she let go of the persons she was holding onto and she jumped up to latch her arms around Sasuke's neck. She completely ignored his hand and hugged him tight. She felt like crying again but suppressed the tears.

Sasuke thought of the right things to say. Caring things, loving things. Things he was supposed to say. "I'm glad you're ok." He whispered into her ear. It was true. But he was more relieved that she was safe. She nodded against his neck.

Finally she released him and looked around, only to notice that somehow the other three were able to slip out unnoticed. They must have figured that the two had to talk, or be alone at least. She knew that the time to talk to him alone was inevitable, but she just…didn't feel like saying a word. Not yet.

Once Sakura was back on the bed, Sasuke had sat next to her. She took it upon herself to hold his hand within hers and she refused to let go. Neither said a word, one not knowing what to say, and the other not wanting to speak.

Sasuke was the first to talk. "Sakura, why won't you say anything?" he asked, looking at her intently. She looked away and didn't say anything.

Sasuke sighed, knowing this would be harder if she didn't talk. He wasn't one with words and he was so used to her doing all of the talking. "You won't tell me what happened will you?" She continued to remain silent and she choose to look out the window instead. "You're not going to explain why you lied to me either huh?" he asked.

Sakura took deep breaths and kept quiet. She didn't want to tell him anything. He would get mad at her for sure.

"Why won't you say anything to me Sakura? You can tell me." He said, trying to pursued her to say something. He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss to show her he was calm and willing to talk with her. But she wasn't having any of it and she frowned and lowered her head, still not uttering a word.

Sasuke bowed his head in defeat and sighed in frustration. He didn't know what he could do and he felt tense. He needed to move around, to get some fresh air and to think about what he was going to really say. He needed to calm down, to clear his head. A walk outside would be best.

So Sasuke stood up off the bed and was about to walk to the door to leave. Before he could go anywhere, a hand reached out and grabbed his own, weakly pulling him back. He turned to Sakura and gave her a confused look, but froze when he noticed the sheer terrified look on her face. Her mouth was open as if she wanted to say something. He waited for her and he could hear a faint sound coming from her.

She finally said the first words, filled with desperation, since she had passed out.

"Please don't leave me."

**And end chapter. So how was it? I hoped you liked it. I worked hard. It took me three days, but at least I got it done. I hope you enjoyed. **

**And please, don't hate me. My decision is final and with it will come a serious of events that will be suspenseful and exciting. Trust me. Don't kill me. I beg that you all will continue to read my story! I'll find out who's truly committed to the story and me once I read some reviews I guess. **


	30. Mind Reading

**Oh thank goodness. I thank you all so much for supporting me thus far. I have to say…the road ahead will be very…rocky. But stick with me. It will be very much to your liking once it's all over with. I promise. **

**Disclaimer: Nope.**

'_Three months.' _ Neji thought to himself. He had three months to find a wife, and already he had someone in mind.

After his realization, Neji seriously thought about his feelings that could have possibly come up in the past. He had come to understand his feelings for Tenten and that he had possessed them for years. What he couldn't understand was why it took so long for him to recognize them.

But with that aside, he had a goal now. He wished he had more time though. He wanted more time to try to figure out if she really was the one he wanted to be with. But no. Instead he was confined to only a few months. So he had no time to waste. He would take things slowly, spend more time with her and find out if she felt something for him. He would use these next three months wisely. He was determined not to allow the family to arrange his marriage. He wanted to marry Tenten.

Whoa.

Back up.

That was a rushed thought. That was a scary thought. Not being married to Tenten, but the fact that he was talking about who he wanted to marry. Like he had it all set and planned. He had just turned twenty. There was no way he was ready for marriage. It was…just too strange to think of. But…he had no choice. He had to do this, and he had to act fast if he wanted to make sure he was to make the right choice.

He only hoped he was making the right choice. He was going to try his hardest. Though his social skills weren't polished, and he wasn't the best at treating a woman (having not been with one) he would do his best. He had to try right? Even if he didn't want to do this.

Lucky for him, his plans would get started right away. He had group training this morning and he would be around her for a few hours.

While walking towards the front door, he ran into Hinata who was still pajama clad and returning from the kitchen. She smiled and at him and he nodded politely back. "Are you going to train?" she questioned. He nodded again. "Well, if you don't mind my asking, are you going to talk to Tenten?"

"Not directly." He explained. That was perfectly understandable to Hinata, but still, he had a time limit. "But I thought of spending time with her."

Hinata's eyes seemed to light up. "She'll love that." She said over enthusiastically. Neji gave her a warily look and she suddenly avoided his eyes. He grew suspicious and a feeling hit him. Hinata looked cautious all of a sudden.

"Do you know something?" he inquired. She jumped at the precipitate question.

"N-no. Of course not." She said timidly. "Ano…you should get going before you're late. I…have to go shower." She excused herself quickly and knew that she made the situation bad. But at the same time, it wasn't bad. Knowing Tenten, it would take a long time before she admitted anything to the Hyuuga boy. So wasn't it best if he just found out right away? So he knew that his efforts weren't in vain?

Oh well, hopefully they would get together soon. In Hinata's opinion, Tenten was perfect for Neji and she had always waited for the day she would see them together. And now, it may be sooner than she thought.

**XxX**

Sakura was destined to stay in the hospital for three days. Tsunade explained that it was too make sure that the baby would pass sufficiently, which was understandable. Then afterwards, Sakura was free to return to her daily routine, though Tsunade had given her the entire next week off.

She wanted to laugh when she woke up the next morning. The last thing she remembered that night was lying in bed, talking with Sasuke. She talked and tried to explain what happened without breaking into a fit of tears. She had watched the anger simply rise in his face and he looked as though he wanted to hit someone.

For some time afterward, Sasuke had moved to sit on the bed next to her. She wasn't used to the affection he showed, but she gladly accepted it. He was being so lenient, allowing her to kiss him when she wanted, or rest her head on his shoulder. She was able to embrace him and he didn't object. She only wished it was this way all the time.

But now the morning after, she wanted to laugh. The boy had slunk down into a lying position next to her and he had his head resting on her chest. She felt like the roles in the relationship had switched. She suppressed her giggles and observed him without disturbing him.

He looked terribly peaceful. A look she didn't see very often. Usually he held a scowl on his face, and when you saw him you would think that he was mad at you. But honestly, he looked plainly adorable. And it was hard to try and put the name Sasuke with the word adorable. Naruto, now he could be adorable. But Sasuke, damn Sai could probably find a way to be more adorable than Sasuke (when they're conscious).

But still, she couldn't help but love this face. She wished she had a camera. Then she could capture this and frame it forever.

Leaning down, she placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head. She could only question what was going on through his head. What was he dreaming right now? It was at times like these that she wished she could read minds. Then she would know the answer to that question.

Sakura leaned back and drifted into a daydream.

Mind reading would be awesome. And dead useful against enemies. She would be able to find out what they were planning on doing, and that would help prevent stupid mistakes. But not only that, she could use it for herself. Yes, she would be invading people's privacy, but just knowing what they could be thinking would be the coolest thing ever!

Opening her eyes, she was startled to notice a pair of tired onyx ones gazing back at her. "Ohayo." She greeted. He nodded mutely and pulled him self up further so that he could rest his head by hers on the pillow. She turned her head over to look at him and she saw that he already had his eyes closed, fully prepared to fall asleep again.

Frowning, she nudged his shoulder. "It's not like you to sleep so late." She said, taking a look at the clock hanging on the wall. It was close to nine. He shrugged passively and opened his eyes. Despite getting a full nights rest, he felt tired. The biggest possibility was that he was more mentally exhausted than anything. He was frustrated, and he felt useless. It just wore him out for some odd reason.

Sakura smiled at him lovingly. Her eyes scrunched up, as well her nose. Her morning cheerfulness was still a mystery to Sasuke, but he didn't bother to question it. Maybe it was just supposed to be one of life's greatest mysteries like 'how did Lee get such big eyebrows?' and 'where did Gaara's eyebrows go?'

There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Sakura said as she waited for Sasuke to move. He didn't move an inch, and Sakura did understand that he wasn't one to care how people saw him. He wasn't much for appearance, and he wouldn't mind if someone noticed him next to Sakura. He's suffered far worse embarrassment.

The door slid open and Shizune came into the room. She held her clipboard to her chest and she smiled sweetly at the couple on the bed. The older jounin had been completely informed on the situation by Tsunade. The three, Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura were oddly close to each other. Since Shizune and Sakura were both apprentices of Tsunade, it was only natural that they all connected. And over time, Sakura and Shizune had become close, like sisters. It was only intrinsic that they would be informed on anything that happened to each other.

"Ohayo Sakura, Sasuke-san." She greeted as she walked into the room. Sakura reached over Sasuke for the remote to control the bed and shifted it so she could sit up. Sasuke was pushed up with the bed and he growled gruffly. He sat up and stretched before moving off the bed and sitting in the chair.

Shizune walked over to the bed and set her clipboard on the table. She looked from Sakura's mirthful face, to Sasuke disgruntled glare that was pointed at the floor. She could tell that something, perhaps the obvious reason, was eating away at him.

"Now, I'm just going to give you a check up. And if everything is going accordingly, Tsunade-sama said that you may leave earlier than expected." She reported. Sakura beamed at the new news.

"That's great." She said.

"Yes it is." Shizune said and went over to the small cabinet with the medical supplies inside

It seemed out of nowhere when Sasuke stood up from his chair. He turned to Shizune and looked at her with an intense gaze. Shizune was startled by the look. "D-do you need something Sasuke-san?" she questioned timidly.

There was a hesitant pause before he answered. "Is Tsunade here?" he asked. He didn't bother to add any suffix to the end of her name.

"Eto…hai. I believe she is. She should be…" Shizune started but was cut off. Sasuke marched straight by her and out the door. She stared at the door for a bit before turning to Sakura who's cheerful face had fallen. Sakura stared at the door, long and hard wondering why Sasuke would want to talk to Tsunade. Her mind began to fill with horrible possibilities.

Just what was wrong with him?

**XxX**

For once in his life, Neji felt nervous. Not only that, he felt slightly awkward all through training. Feelings that were very foreign to Neji. Feelings he had never dreamed of experiencing. And now, since he realized his true feelings, they were stronger, and seemed to grow stronger every time he looked at her.

"Neji?"

Just looking at her today, she never left his mind. It was maddening and despite him liking her, he didn't like it. He wasn't used to it and it was messing him up. He was having trouble concentrating and was often slipping off to daydream.

"Neji…"

And there wasn't anyway to stop it. Maybe he should just confess and get it over with. Say something to her. Do something! This was seriously crazy.

"NEJI!"

The Hyuuga boy was suddenly taken out of his thoughts and as he returned back into reality. He looked up into the concerned face of the one who was causing all of his problems. Her chocolate eyes were glazed with worry and personally, to Neji, she was leaning in a bit too close for comfort.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked and she took a seat by him against the tree he was sitting against. She sat away far enough, knowing how he wasn't one for being too close to people. She looked over at him expectantly.

Neji gazed up at the clear blue sky and thought of what he should say. Was now a good time to tell her the truth?

Hell no.

But it was definitely time to put his plan into action. Even though he was expecting a very weird look from her, it was best to be blunt and get it over with. No use to put it off and waste time.

"Tenten." He started, trying to form a way to ask her. She waited patiently for him to talk. "Would you like to join me for lunch today?" he asked straightforward.

There was a long pause between the two. Eyes wide, Tenten pinched the top of her hand. Ouch. "What was that for?" Neji asked. Tenten smiled sheepishly. "I was just making sure I wasn't dreaming." She explained. He should have known. That should be expected. This was unusual behavior for him.

"Well. I-I would love to go to lunch with you." The brown haired girl agreed. She looked overjoyed as well as confused, a strange combination. But the girl's first thought was, _'Who drugged Neji?'_

That was the only answer the boy needed. He stood up and dusted himself off, then waited for Tenten. She glanced up at him. "Now?"

He nodded impatiently. Tenten pushed herself up and straightened her clothes. They were cutting practice short, but that didn't seem to affect Neji. And they hadn't seen Gai or Lee for a while now, so it shouldn't bother those two too much. They most likely forgot about them and were off doing some extensive training somewhere.

The pair began to walk down the path back towards the village. Tenten looked at Neji, her face holding a look of confusion. She continually glanced at him, as if she was waiting for him to walk away or tell her he changed his mind. The thought bugged her, but she knew that it wasn't like Neji to change his mind so suddenly. But, what could be his motive for asking her out?

Neji had been walking straight, looking as stoic as ever. He caught one of Tenten's glances and the look he gave her was like a glare. Without delay, he turned his glance away, wishing he was able to soften his look. He wouldn't get anywhere with her if he was glaring all the time. Surely the weapons mistress wouldn't take a liking to that.

Once they had reached the village gates, both of them realized that they didn't know where they were going to go. Tenten was wondering just what this all meant. Was it two teammates going out to lunch, or was it two teammates who were going on a date? It seemed that that all depended on where they went. If they went to someplace simple, like Ichiraku, then it was most likely that they were just teammates out to lunch. But, if it were a real restaurant, well that could suggest other things.

Neji on the other hand knew what he wanted this outing to be, but where to take her? Really, he wanted to take her to a nice place. Well, he knew of a perfect place to go. A place the family had gone to often. He enjoyed the selection they had and it wasn't too far from where they were. He redirected his path to walk towards the main center of the village.

Once again, Tenten glimpsed at Neji. "If you don't mind my asking, what's with the sudden invite?" she asked. Neji showed no emotion or reaction.

"I'll explain everything when we get to where we're going." He said monotone.

Tenten didn't like pitch of his voice. Was he putting off the explanation? Was he regretting asking her out? She didn't understand anything at the moment.

The busy streets of the main part of town were filled with people who were going about their business. The duo navigated their way through the crowd and Neji led Tenten down the streets and into the more expensive part of town. Tenten hadn't been down this way very often. Only two or three times through her lifetime. She had no reason to wander down here. It wasn't like she had the money to afford any of these apartments.

Finally they reached the restaurant. It was large and extravagant, the outside walls covered in elaborate designs and subtle, yet eye catching colors. The brown eyed girl looked at Neji as if to make sure they were at the right place. She didn't expect _this._

Luckily it wasn't one of the most prodigal places that required you to need a reservation. The only time those were needed were usually during holidays, or if you wanted to reserve one of the private rooms, which was what the family usually did.

In a matter of minutes they were led to a table by the back windows were they got a nice view of the small garden that was outside the restaurant. Their brunette waitress took their drink orders and dashed away to fulfill them.

Tenten looked across the table at Neji, who was staring at the wood surface. Wasn't he supposed to initiate the conversation since he asked her out? At least, wasn't he going to say anything? "So, what _was_ the reason you asked me here?" she asked. Neji's head jerked upward as she spoke and he observed her carefully. She looked abashed and like she was desperate for a reason.

The boy sighed and leaned back. He prepared his truthful explanation and prepared himself. With a small smile he started. "It's been decided," he said, "that I will take over as head of the family."

She immediately smiled and practically beamed at her crush. "Really!" she exclaimed while clasping her hands together. She leaned against the table. "That's wonderful!" she said happily. Though that didn't give her a good reason as to why he asked her out, she accepted it anyways. No sense in fussing over something wonderful.

"Yes." Neji agreed, not knowing if what he said would truly lead Tenten onto his actions. He knew she knew about the three month rule. He heard that Hinata had told her about it before. But whatever was going on through her head, he wouldn't know.

If only he could read minds…

The waitress returned soon after with their drinks. She set both in front of them and prepared to take their orders. "Have you decided what you want?" she asked kindly with a smile. In the midst of the weird silence and getting information out of Neji, Tenten forgot to even open the menu. "Uh…" She hurriedly opened her menu and scanned over the choice. Unfortunately her eyes completely went over the words and focused on the prices. There was just no way!

She wasn't able to protest to Neji for he had already decided to order for them both. She didn't catch on to what he ordered, but she could only expect that it was expensive. The waitress nodded and gathered the menus before leaving their table.

Once she was out of earshot, Tenten turned on Neji. "Are you insane? I can't let you pay this much for me!" she argued. He simply raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"Why not? I was the one who asked you out, so I'm willing to pay anything for you."

It felt like everything surrounding them stopped. She stared at him blankly and let his words sink into her like water. He was willing to pay anything for her? Those words. Did he really just say them? She had never dreamed of hearing him say anything like that. It was unnatural and un-Neji like.

"Who are you and what have you done to Neji?" she questioned directly, looking almost unsure of herself now. Of course that was Neji, but what happened to the whole…'I'm Mr. Stone cold?' Now he was like, 'I'm Mr. Iceberg floating in warm water.' "Or at least," she continued on, "what have you been smoking?"

Neji grinned. Actually grinned and let out a low chuckle. His eyes were closed, but once he opened them, he looked at her with such an intense look that she got jolts of pleasurable intensity from it. Goosebumps began to line her skin.

As Neji looked at Tenten, he debated on whether he should really just come out with the truth. It was the best idea, and he could at least let it out in a non undeviating way. It didn't sound like a bad idea, and he really needed as much time as he could get. He would have to ignore the fact that he was bringing this on so suddenly and hope she doesn't have a heart attack.

"Tenten, calm down and I'll explain things more clearly." He stated. The girl relaxed in her seat and closed her eyes while taking a deep breath. She then opened her café eyes and gave a small smile.

"Fine then, explain this to me." She said, gesturing at the place they were sitting. The brunette boy nodded.

"Since I have been allowed to take over as the head, there are certain…attributes that I must go by." He said. Tenten nodded and waited for him to continue. Very bluntly he said, "I need a wife in three months time."

Silence.

"…"

"…"

"Oh." The girl said softly while processing the information. She started at the table as the words were set in her mind. She looked up suddenly. "Oh!" she said a bit louder. "So, you want me to…"

He nodded. "Yes, that is the plan. I don't have a lot of time and I don't want to be stuck with someone the family picked. And…Tenten I…"

For reasoned that were unknown to Neji, the girl suddenly gave him a nasty look. Ok, that was expected but at the same time it wasn't. Her face grew red as she glared at him. She abruptly stood up. Neji was confused as to where this sudden mad attitude came from. Did he say something wrong? He wasn't expecting her to become angry, just a bit (well, no a lot) shocked. But this…

"Hyuuga Neji!"

Ouch. That was angry sounding. The only people he had seen be on the receiving end of Tenten's anger was Lee and Naruto. Neither of those times had been pretty. But why was she mad at him?

"If you think that you can use me as an escape route to get out of this marriage you can forget it!" she spoke loudly. Her eyes flashed darkly. She turned away and began to stomp out of the restaurant, not wanting anything to do with this _'date' _anymore.

Neji was speechless. That was…well he didn't know what that was. He completely ignored the stares he was getting. What should he do? Follow her? Well wasn't that what guys were supposed to do when they upset a woman? But she would just get mad at him again. Maybe he should let her cool down before going to talk to her. He had to explain fully, about how he felt as well. He wasn't using her. Not at all. He would never do that.

Neji threw down enough money to cover for everything and stood up to leave. He just wanted to relax now and take a nice bath and think over how he was going to approach Tenten.

While walking out of the restaurant, Neji last though was, _'Everything just seems to be messed up.'_

**XxX**

Sasuke had been wandering around the hospital for nearly twenty minutes, trying to find the hot tempered blonde. The woman must have some sort of a disappearing act, because whenever he asked a nurse, they would always tell him that they saw her not too long ago.

Just how long was not too long ago? To them, probably an hour or something.

Getting worked up, he raced around a corner and realized he had gone in a complete circle and ended up right back at Sakura's room. There, just outside his girlfriend's door, back facing him, was the Hokage herself. He growled to himself and approached her, stomping the whole way there. He cleared his throat impatiently when he was behind her. Tsunade scowled and turned around.

"Took you long enough to catch up." She said smugly and began to walk down the hall while looking over some papers on her next patient. Sasuke glared at her back and followed behind her. "What do want anyway?" she asked.

Sasuke moved fast and stood firmly before her. Tsunade stopped and gave him a feverish look. He gave her a certain look that caught her attention. She sighed.

"Fine, I'm listening. What is it that's bugging you?"

**XxX**

Hinata noticed the broad back that was walking away from her down the hallway. She jogged to him and fell in step with her cousin. "Neji, were you able to talk to Tenten?" she asked. She was highly eager to find out any information he could have.

Without looking at her, he answered, "Aa."

Hinata frowned. That wasn't much of an answer. And, as she observed his face, she noticed that he looked slightly crestfallen. That wasn't a normal Neji face.

"I take it that it didn't go so well?" she said. That was strange. Knowing her friend, she would have thought the girl would be ecstatic. So what was the problem now?

Neji shook his head and composed himself. His unsettled look disappeared and his stoic face showed itself. "She thinks that I just want to use her." He said. Hinata gaped at him. "She got mad when I tried to explain, and she walked out of the restaurant I was treating her to."

Hinata was amazed. What was Tenten thinking? The one thing she always wanted to happen happens, and she gets upset over it? That girl was surely f-ed up. Oh, she had to step in and help now. It might now be in her nature, but she couldn't let this happen.

"What are you doing here?" Hinata asked incredulously. She stopped and Neji took one more step before stopping as well.

"What?" he questioned.

"Why are you here?" Hinata asked again. "Why aren't you out trying to talk to Tenten?" she asked frantically. She knew that most men were…uneducated in the ways of taking care of woman. But she never thought _Neji_ of all men would be so naive. "She's probably expecting you to come talk to her. If you do, then that will tell her that you do care for her. But if not…if not then she really will think you were just going to use her."

Neji was in silent and unnoticeable awe. He had never realized Hinata was so in tune with the way of human emotions. And what she said made perfect sense. With each passing minute, Tenten was probably becoming more and more convinced that he didn't care for her.

"Neji, Tenten likes you!"

Hinata covered her mouth, surprised that she had just let her friend's biggest secret out. Neji's expression didn't change at all. Well, the secret is out, why keep quite any longer.

"She really likes you Neji. She has since we were genin."

It took a long moment. As soon as he fully understood, Neji turned quickly and dashed down the hall towards the front entrance. He had to fix this. Even if she refused to listen, even if she hated him, he would explain things. For once in his life, he felt the nervous feeling. The feeling that he was so close to loosing something he never had. And now he was going by advice and instinct.

He couldn't walk, he had to run. He couldn't stop. His legs seemed to move on their own and his unnatural behavior was unexplainable. He just knew that he had to find Tenten and set things straight before it was too late.

The run to Tenten's apartment seemed to take forever. His legs felt stiff as she rushed though streets. Of course, she had to live on a fairly busy street which made it harder to get to her place. He stopped when he was outside her door and knocked loudly. After a bit, no one answered. She had to be here though; there was no other place he could think she would go to. Without thinking, he turned the doorknob to find it unlocked. He opened the door and shut it behind him. The apartment seemed to be empty and he walked in a few steps.

Everything was still and he didn't hear any sounds. Maybe she wasn't home. But that was unlikely. Provided by where she was living, it was strange for Tenten to not be home and have her door unlocked. So why was there such an empty feeling here?

A door opened from the down the hall and the girl he was looking for appeared, looking prepared to beat anyone who proved to be an intruder to her home. She didn't look happy that Neji was there, but on the inside she felt emotionally relieved. She glared at him.

"What?" she hissed out.

Neji was quick to talk. "I really need to talk to you." He said.

Rolling her eyes, Tenten moved into the kitchen to start making some tea. "What is there to talk about? I'm just a tool right? It's not hard to understand." She said. Her voice was so full of many different emotions, that it was hard to decipher what she was truly feeling.

"I didn't explain things sufficiently." Neji said. He stood in the doorframe to the kitchen. Tenten didn't speak. She was busing herself, trying to keep herself from falling apart. What happened earlier, that killed her. She didn't know how she was still standing. That was the worst feeling she had ever gotten when he said those words to her.

"It hurt you know." She said, not caring about anything. She didn't care about keeping a secret. She didn't care about how he felt. She just needed to tell him before she burst from the emotional overload. "You just don't understand." She said, feeling the horrible feelings return. Her voice broke as she said the words, but she kept herself together. "You don't understand…what it's like to love someone so much." She said. "To love them, and to continue to love them, even though you know they'll never love you back."

Neji wasn't able to even look at her. No he didn't understand. He's been through a lot of heartfelt tragedies in his life, but he had never known of the suffering of having to be around the one person you love more dearly than anyone else, and being talked down to, or completely ignored by them. Just knowing that they don't love you, or so much as care for you was something he couldn't understand. How was this girl able to smile so much?

"I don't understand." He said unemotionally. Tenten shook her head and fumbled around with the tea kettle. Her hands were shaking so badly. She had never experienced this much emotional wretchedness ever and it was taking a toll on her. If she didn't let anything out soon she would surely break.

The kettle was filled, as were her eyes. She willed herself not to cry. Not in front of Neji. She wanted to stop shaking, she wanted to make the unshed tears go away. "No you don't understand!" she said loudly. She placed the kettle on the stove and began to shift around the cabinets above the stove, trying to find her tea bags. She grumbled with frustration. She knocked things around harshly, getting annoyed by the second.

Suddenly her elbow connected with the handle of the kettle, sending it off the stovetop and toppling to the floor. The lid fell off and the contents spilled everywhere. Cursing furiously, Tenten felt that she had finally reached her breaking point. She let the tears flow and started crying for the first time in years. She was frustrated and in more pain than she let anyone in on. She grabbed the dish towel and began to clean up the water with rash movements. She became reckless and finally she gave up, curling into a ball on the floor and forgetting how pitiful she looked at the moment. She didn't care anymore. She didn't care what Neji thought of her at all.

The pale eyed boy was stunned. He had never thought he'd see this side on Tenten. Just seeing the endless stream of tears running down her face made him feel horrible. He felt that he had to do something. "_You feel a need to protect them, and you would do anything you could for them." _Hinata's words suddenly went through his mind and he understood what he had to do.

He seemed to leave his old character, his old personality behind as he took a step forward. Everything was clear to him and he knew he had to comfort Tenten and tell her what he was feeling.

Kneeling down next to her, his hand floated by her shoulder as he slowly placed it on her. She jumped by the slight contact. Tenten sniffed and tensed. Neji forced the words to leave his mouth.

"Don't be upset." He said firmly, as if commanding her. "I…I've come to an understanding. I now understand the strange feelings I've had whenever I looked at you or was around you. I've realized, that I picked you to ask to become my wife, not as a tool to be used so I can avoid anything, but because…I don't want anyone else."

That was nothing that the old Neji would say. Part of his icy layer had finally melted away, and with it was his cold demeanor and attitude. He wasn't perfect, and he wasn't the nicest person. But he wanted what was best for Tenten. He wanted to comfort her, and take care of her. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before, but it wasn't absolutely unsettling.

Tenten turned and looked at him. "R-really?" she asked.

Neji nodded. Tenten moved and sat against the back counter. Neji moved beside her. They were silent, not saying anything, knowing that what was said was enough. They didn't need anymore words. It was time for them to take in all of the events and understand everything. Or maybe they didn't. Maybe right now they just needed each other's company. The company they had knowingly, and unknowingly longed for, but had never had.

Tenten brought her knees up to her chest and wiped away any remaining tears. Though she was sitting right next to Neji, she felt like she was so far away from him. She leaned against his shoulder, needing the contact to know that he was still there and that this all wasn't a dream.

It seemed that things would be different from now on.

**XxX**

"That seems suitable." Tsunade said after hearing Sasuke's request.

"…"

"I assume you want to go now. I know you're inpatient." She said. He nodded. "Well then, I'm not sure if I'm making the right decision by doing this, but I'm not going to stop you. It's your decision what you do I guess." The blonde said. "But, if I hear that you do anything stupid, you'll regret it. And If you decide to wander off your destined path, then I'll personally find you." She threatened. Sasuke was unaffected by her words.

Tsunade studied him for a moment. "Just make sure to come back. This is a serious trust test. I can't believe I'm letting you go alone." She said before walking away from him. 

She was concerned now. Was she making the right decision? She could only hope so. And how would Sakura react? Well she would find that out soon enough.

As for Sasuke. She had a horrible feeling that she was going to have to keep a closer eye on him. It was said that old habits could easily be brought back in people. And Sasuke was a lifelong self proclaimed avenger.

Too bad she couldn't read minds.

**Alright. I hoped you enjoyed this chappie! It's making realize just how long this story is going to be. How about…very very long? Not to mention I have a planned sequel. Oh this will be fun!**

**Questions, comments, concerns? Review them to me please!**


	31. Together

**Oh my. Thank you all for the reviews. I hope you are truly enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. **

**Disclaimer: School is a bitch. I'd rather stay home and type about the characters that aren't mine. **

_**After a pickle flies across the cafeteria and hits Mr. Sorrow on the chest and bounces off.**_

_**Emilie: "Did you just get hit by a pickle?"**_

_**Mr. Sorrow: "No, I didn't just get hit by a pickle! Did you see who threw it?"**_

_**This chapter is dedicated to my dearly precious Rach (A.K.A **__**you.broke.a.promise)**__** all because I love you and you yelled at me for not dedicating. Maybe this will help you update faster! I know, I know…screw me. Lol…**_** ;P**

It was the sound that woke him up. If it wasn't the wee hours of the morning, he would cringe. But he was too out of it to fully register what was making the noise.

Until he felt the cold spot next to him.

Shikamaru sighed. He really didn't want to, but it would be the right thing to get up and check on Ino. It was a morning ritual for her to throw up, but lately it didn't happen as often. She was entering the second trimester of her pregnancy, now that she was starting her fourth month. It would take some time, but eventually the sickness would be virtually non existent.

Detestably he pulled the sheet up and stepped out of bed. The morning air was warm and humid and it just made everything worse. They had to sleep with only a sheet at night because it would get so hot. The summers in fire country were unbearable.

The lazy boy yawned and walked to the bathroom and found Ino sitting against the wall across from the toilet. She held her stomach and looked tired. Her face was pale, yet her cheeks held a rosy color.

"You alright?" he asked. The way he voiced the short sentence made it sound as though he didn't care. And maybe he wasn't as overly concerned as when it first happened, but he was still worried about Ino. Throwing up nearly every morning could not be fun at all. Ino was always so exhausted and he truly felt for her. What women had to go through just for another person.

The girl nodded weakly, her eyes closed. She was breathing deeply. With one last deep breath, she began to stand, using the wall behind her. She moved towards the sink and turned the water on, not hesitating as she began to rinse her mouth out. The cold water was a shock to her mouth and it made her teeth hurt. But she wanted the horrible taste out of her mouth. She reached for her toothbrush and toothpaste.

Once she was sure the nasty taste was gone, she shut the water off and wiped her mouth. Looking up in the mirror, she looked long at her pale face. Despite the bulge of her stomach, she hadn't really gained a lot of weight. Instead, it seemed as though she was loosing weight. Her cheeks were more sunken in than normal. That was strange considering she ate enough to rival Chouji.

Shikamaru appeared in the reflection of the mirror. Ino noted the concerned look. She didn't try to fake a smile or anything. She felt horrible.

Neither said a word. Ino frowned and looked away, pushing past her boyfriend and moving towards the bedroom. Shikamaru watched as she climbed into bed and pulled the sheet up and over her head. There was something wrong with Ino, and Shikamaru wasn't sure if it was pregnancy related.

He dragged his feet over to the bed and carefully climbed in, trying not to shift around too much. A part of him wanted to ask Ino what was really bothering her. But a bigger part of him said to not bother, that she would surely talk when she wanted to.

Though, he could feel the emotional waves radiating off of the girl and it was slightly uncomfortable.

"Ino…?"

"What?" she snapped before he was able to even ask the question. The covers were thrown halfway off of her body as she spun around to meet his shocked gaze. The first thing Shikamaru noticed was the fierce glare she gave him. It wasn't like her normal empty glares, this was an actual angry glare. Had he done something wrong?

"Er…" he suddenly wasn't sure if he should ask. "What really is bothering you?"

Ino sighed and fell back into her pillow, now glaring at the ceiling. "Oh that's rich!" she said in exasperation. Shikamaru was suddenly scared by the sudden mood outrage. He had seen Ino explode, but not in his direction. He suddenly felt bad for Naruto and anyone else Ino had hollered at.

Her angry look melted into one of…was it sadness? Worry? That was a rapid mood change. What was going on?

"Have you realized it yet?" she questioned.

Shikamaru didn't have a clear idea of what she was talking about. What was he supposed to realize? This woman was being so confusing.

"Realize…" he trailed off.

Frustrated, Ino answered. "This whole situation Shikamaru! I mean, we're going to be parents. Have you really thought about it and let it sink in! Nothing is going to be the same!" she exclaimed.

The man knew she was right. Nothing was going to be the same. But that information hadn't fully registered in his mind. That was for sure. He couldn't think of himself as a father. It just…didn't seem possible. And yet, he was five months away from being a dad.

"And everything is just going wrong!" She said. Her hands ran over her face. Shikamaru already predicted that the tears would start to fall soon. He shifted so that he was able to pull her to him and he held her comfortingly.

He didn't know what she meant by this either.

"When…when I went out with Mama. When we went shopping, she told me what happened." Ino said. Shika was confused and waited for Ino to continue. He was wondering why she had never told him this before.

The blonde girl continued. "She said…that...my daddy and your dad got into a fight."

This was news to Shikamaru. "When?" he asked.

"A couple days ago." She responded. Shikamaru was speechless. "Apparently…they were arguing over our clans." She said. "With our specific bloodlines and jutsu abilities, we don't know how the baby's going to turn out." The girl paused for a moment. Shikamaru rubbed her back soothingly. "They were arguing about, when the time comes, who's clan the baby is going to take over."

Now that was ridiculous. "The baby isn't even born and yet they're already arguing? Man this is troublesome. Why would they worry about something like that. That won't happen for a while now." He said.

Ino nodded into his chest. "I know. And then they were going on about what we were supposed to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, come on. You know what they're expecting right?" Ino said. She sniffed and clenched her teeth together. Shikamaru had a blurry idea of what she meant. "They are obviously waiting for us to tie the knot."

His assumption was proven correct. Of course that was what they were expecting. It wasn't a shock at all. But wasn't it possible that that could cause problems?

"Well, yeah. It's only right." He said. Ino pulled away and looked at him in surprise.

"Shika, you know that us getting married could either improve our clans, or it can completely destroy them! Either everyone would get along with each other, or the families will fight about it! It's a risky move. And then having to put the baby through it! It's just…just…ugh!"

She was completely right and there was no point in denying it. What she said made perfect sense. It was a risky move. But judging on their situation and the state of their society, it would be only appropriate for them to marry. But what if it didn't work out?

Now he understood where her stress was coming from.

"Shika…what should we do?" the girl whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Ah…"

"Do you even want to get married?"

"Er…"

"Do you…do you even want this baby?"

"…"

Shikamaru was rendered speechless.

**XxX**

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he walked away from the entrance to the Uchiha estate. He frowned and stared at the ground as he walked, thinking about what just happened.

_He had just left Sakura's apartment after doing some work there and was on his way towards the Uchiha village. The plan was set in his mind and he wanted to do what he could before Sakura really began to freak out. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long. _

_He knew that the rest of team Hebi might prove to be a problem, but overall not a huge problem. Maybe it was possible to arrange some sort of agreement with the Godaime. _

_He reached his old home and entered. Immediately, the silence in the house hit him like a full orchestra. Now that just wasn't right. Where were his usually loud ex-teammates?_

_It didn't take long to find them. The moment he set foot on the first stair, he got an earful of the latest problem in the Uchiha home. _

"_We're leaving!"_

_That was definitely Karin. Her high voice was distinguishable between the two others. There was no mistake about that. But just what could she mean? Were they really going to leave? Where would they go?_

"_Alright, you're being rash! You can't decide for all of us! What's with the sudden up and go?" that was Suigetsu. It was always like him to immediately start an argument when something he didn't like happened or was suggested. _

"_I don't like it here!" she declared. Sasuke paused, not moving to the next step. He could only picture her glaring face in his mind. _

"_Well why the hell not? It's fine here, I don't think there is any reason to leave." Suigetsu argued back. _

_There was a small 'hmph' from Karin. Juugo butted in. "It is nice here. But maybe Karin has a good reason to leave." He said. _

"_That's right I do!" the redhead said. _

"_Che. Right…and what would that be?" The aqua haired man asked incredulously. _

_There was a drawn out pause and Sasuke was certain that the pair was glaring at each other. "Sasuke get in here!" The girl shouted louder than necessary. The raven haired man cringed only slightly at the near scream and cursed that he never masked his chakra. There wasn't a reason for him to do so, but if only he had found a reason. _

_Slowly he walked up the steps to the second landing. He entered his old bedroom to find the three scattered around the room. Karin overpowering the bed, Suigetsu on the chair, and Juugo by the balcony, the door open. A light breeze blew through the room, adding to the chilly feel. Sasuke received one of the darkest glares he had ever gotten from Karin. Only one person had outdone him in the glare department, and that was his hotheaded girlfriend. _

"_Convince her that there is no reason to leave." Suigetsu pleaded to him. The shark man really did like this place. The house was nice, being that it was the main house of the estate. Not to mention the whole surrounding area was like an abandoned village. Scratch that, it was an abandoned village. But there was a very small chance that they could get caught. And he could train all he wanted, do all he wanted. Not to mention it was all free. Now if only they would be able to bring up some girls…_

"_Ah…" Sasuke had nothing to say. Well, except for what he purposely came to tell them. He would rather not be dragged in the middle of their petty fight. _

_Suddenly, a slender finger was pointed directly at him. Karin fumed as she gave him a pure black look. It looked as though she was about to explode, yet she didn't utter a word. Sasuke waited, as did the other two men. Finally she burst. "YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! HOW COULD YOU…I CAN'T…UGH!" During her rant, the girl had stood up off the bed and advanced towards Sasuke. She stood before him, hands on her hip, her eyes narrowed. Sasuke looked at her blankly. _

"_I have no idea what you're talking about." He said un-emotionally. He turned his attention away from her. She yanked hard on his shoulder, forcing him to look at her. It was his turn to glare. _

"_Don't give me that bullshit!" she hollered. "I know something happened between you and that…that…TRAMP!"_

_Silence._

_Karin was breathing heavy, her emotions overpowering her. She burned with raw fury and wanted nothing more than to hit something, someone. Sasuke on the other hand looked in perfect control. '_Stay calm'_ he told himself. _'Stay in control.'_ Emotional outrages weren't going to get him anywhere. He had to control his anger. Breath. _

"_My private matters are non of your concern." He stated, not even caring how she found out anything. What she said didn't necessarily mean she knew anything about his relationship with Sakura. Or just what kind of incident happened. She did walk in on them that one morning, so she had to know that there was something going on. But…it couldn't be possible that she knew about the baby right?_

"_Oh come on! I know that you are now a father-to-be." She sounded out the last couple of words with such hatred. Venom dripped off her tongue as she said them and if looks could kill the building would collapse. _

_There was a loud gasp from Suigetsu who jumped forward in his chair. Even Juugo looked stunned beyond words. "You knocked that cute pink haired chick up!? I mean, damn Sasuke. I always thought that you would turn out to be asexual or something." He said, stifling his laughter. Sasuke didn't find this at all amusing. _

_Sasuke decided not to say anything. They didn't need to know anything anyways. He would tell them eventually if there was a chance. _

"_Hmph. Yes, so now we're leaving." Karin grumbled. Lucky for her, she was dressed in her own clothes (not the ones she borrowed from Sakura). She rounded on Juugo and Suigetsu. "Now." She said firmly. _

"_I still don't see why." The blue-green eyed man sighed. _

_Karin started, "Because…"_

"_Maybe it would be best." Sasuke cut her off. Karin glared, Juugo stared out the door, and Suigetsu gazed at Sasuke with a betrayed look. "You should go back to your own village, instead of risking getting caught here. I don't think you would want to meet our Hokage. Not to mention the amount of trouble I would get into. I'm just barely starting to earn some trust." He said. He had completely wiped out all thoughts of allowing them to stay. It wouldn't be safe. He had to get on the good side of everyone here. Especially Tsunade. If he wanted to be guaranteed a better chance at a second…or third shot in being accepted here, then he had to do something. And if he was to follow along with his plans, they would only interfere. And it wasn't all that hard for him. He had no trouble with telling them to get lost. He didn't feel sympathy. The only thing he did feel was a miniscule amount of sorry for Juugo and Suigetsu having to travel with Karin. He felt more for Juugo who had to travel with both. _

_And that was it. There was no argument, there was no discussion. It seemed to have been set in each other their minds, whether they detested it or not, that the remnants of team Hebi would have to depart someday. And as they gathered their belongings, none of them said anything. Sasuke told them to take Sakura's medical kit that she had left at the home in case they needed it. He would just get her a new one. _

_Sasuke thought it would only be nice to see them off. He walked down to the front of the house. Juugo walked by him, bowing his head. "I will try to keep myself under control." He promised. _

_Suigetsu walked by next, his sword slung over his shoulder. He looked glum as he walked by. "First you leave us, them you kick us out. Don't love us anymore?" he questioned sarcastically. "Guess you never loved us in the first place." He chuckled softly. "Tell the kid all about Uncle Suigetsu." He said. _

_Sasuke felt a horrible feeling at those last words. He couldn't bring himself to tell them that there wasn't any child. That it was killed by their own people. He couldn't do it. He simply nodded. _

_Then lastly, Karin stood before him. She gave him a hard look, and he returned it equally. Karin broke the drawn out silence that had been developed. "This isn't goodbye." She said. "Just for some reason, I know that I will see you again. For some reason or another, our paths will cross again." Her voice was deep and her gaze was all serious. There was no declaration of love, no high pitched squealing. She was being serious. "So…see you later." _

_And in three quick blurs, they were gone. _

Her words left an eerie after feeling on him. Just how she said it, in a near emotion deprived voice. _'I know that I will see you again.'_

They were going to the sound. Did she mean that he would go back to the sound?

Shaking his head, Sasuke clenched his teeth. He glared at the dirt road for a moment before jumping up onto the closets roof, hoping to get to the hospital sooner.

When he made it to the hospital he walked right through the door and down the hall as if he owned the place. The nurses stared at him in slight awe, his presence being that demanding. It took him practically no time to get to Sakura's room. When he entered, the girl was in the middle of a check-up. Just how long had he been gone?

The pink haired beauty looked at the door and smiled, feeling immensely relived that he came back. She was afraid that he could have gone somewhere far away and he might not have returned. The nurse finished taking Sakura's blood pressure.

"Well Sakura-san, Tsunade-sama said that if you were all okay that you could be discharged." She said with a kind smile. Sakura felt even more elated at the news.

"Awesome." She said. The nurse nodded.

"You can leave anytime." She said. She turned and gave a small bow to Sasuke before exiting the room.

"That's great, ne Sasuke?" Sakura said with a smile. He nodded mutely and advanced over to her bed. She had already begun to step out, wanting to get up and move.

"Good. Now we can get to work." He said, holding a hand out to her. She gladly accepted it and he lifted her fully to her feet. She stumbled forward and almost collided into him. She regained her balance.

"Work?" she asked.

Again he nodded. "We're moving into my house."

**XxX**

Never had she felt so alone. Never had she felt…anything like this. She felt…uncared for. Like passing her by was no problem at all. That's how her father made it seem. She had never expected the decision to allow Neji to take over to be so quick. It was like she wasn't an option in the first place. Maybe she was no use of the family. Maybe they didn't need her.

Was it possible?

Not only that, but she yearned to see Naruto. Though she had just seen him in the hospital, it was under unwanted circumstances, and she didn't see him for long. She yearned for him, her thoughts never once going without the playful blonde popping in. Her heart ached and she knew she had to see him. But would her father allow them to be together? It was uncertain. Though Hiashi stated that Naruto wouldn't be good enough for someone who would succeed him in taking over the head position, would Naruto still be unacceptable now?

Hinata was at a loss. She didn't know what to do. Her hand brushed along the coarse bark of the tree as she continued to walk through the woods. She was by herself in the training grounds, taking in the beautiful scenery of the sunlit day. The peaceful settings helped her stay calm and it made her feel better in a way.

Deciding to rest for a bit, she walked over to the clearing where the training posts were. A bit of meditation never hurt anyone. And maybe after she could do some light training.

As she approached the area, the sound of consistent _'thumps'_ filled her ears. Someone was already here? Perhaps she should find some other place to be.

"Who's there?"

Oops. It seems that this person was good at sensing presences. There was no use of walking away since they would most likely pursue her. Slowly she stepped out from the wooded area and entered the clearing.

"Hinata?"

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Oh, well…I didn't expect to see you here." The blonde said as he rubbed the back of his head. He walked over to the scarred wooden post and began to pull his shruiken out. "I was just doing some training." He said.

Hinata approached him, a gentle smile on her lips. She could be any happier that he was here. Finally, she got some alone time with Naruto. No father to interfere.

"Oh, I was just out for a walk." She responded in her quiet voice. It seemed almost awkward at the moment between them. Naruto finished putting his shruiken away and smiled at the girl.

"I ah…made a bento, if you want to share it with me." He said and motioned towards the small wrapped up box that he had placed next to his balled up jacket.

"Sure."

**XxX**

"Neji, don't you think you should head back to your house?"

"Probably."

"…"

"…"

"And you're still here because…?"

Neji shrugged his shoulders.

"Oi! Don't get in trouble because of me!" Tenten urged.

The pair sat on the couch, Tenten now facing Neji. Neji looked unmoved by her words.

"I won't get in trouble." He assured her. She looked at him skeptically. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "And why are you so keen on getting me out of here? Do you not want me here anymore?" he questioned.

Slight guilt overtook Tenten. She looked away for a moment. "It's not that." She said in a softer tone. "I mean, I don't want you to leave. But I don't want you to get in trouble either. I'm sure you're needed since you're taking over."

Neji understood what she meant. But he didn't think he'd be needed as much as she thought. Hiashi was still there and he was still head of the family. Neji wouldn't officially be in charge until the ceremony took place. That wouldn't be too far off, but it would take some time and planning. "Tenten it's fine."

She still wasn't convinced but she settled down back onto the couch. She felt, if nothing else, unsettled. She barely acknowledged the T.V. and she wasn't too sure that Neji was enjoying it. Television just wasn't his thing. She did want to talk to him, to understand what was going on now. But would he? Neji wasn't a talker.

It was worth a shot.

"So…" she started, fumbling to find the right words to say. Neji turned his attention to her. He stretched his right arm up and rested it on the back of the couch, his hand resting behind the girl's head. She suddenly felt self-conscious. She noticed his tea cup was empty. "I'll get you some more tea." She said, avoiding the subject she wanted to get to.

She reached out for the cup but Neji stopped her. "What do you really want to say?"

Sighing, she knew there was no way around it. "Neji…what's going on between us?" she asked him. She understood in part, but it was still rough around the edges. She wanted to fully understand everything.

He didn't answer right away. Instead he studied her. Her expression, it was a mixture of many different things. "I don't want to make you do anything you want to." He explained. "But, it's true that you have feelings for me right?"

Taking a moment, Tenten gathered the courage to say the words she had waited to tell him. "I…I really do love you Neji." She admitted.

The confession nearly took him off guard. Neji knew of her feelings, and now he felt more comfortable that her feelings ran that deep. He felt more confident that having her as a wife was a good idea. But his feelings. How deep did they run? If he said the words, he would know if they were true or not.

"I…love you as well." The words were said. And amazingly, he felt happy as he said them. Like it was the right thing to do. Everything seemed clearer now that he had finally concluded how he felt. There was a new path for him ahead. One that now, he had someone to go along with him. For once he felt…complete.

Tenten was smiling brightly. She wanted nothing more than to hug Neji tightly, but knew that he didn't like physical contact. Wanting to close to him she settled to taking his hand in her own. It was something at least.

Neji couldn't say he felt completely comfortable. He wasn't used to being touched so easily. Normally he wouldn't allow anyone to touch him, and no one ever tried to touch him. That's just how it was. So it would take some time to get used to, and he knew it. He would learn to be more intimate over time. He would learn to be more loving over time.

And that's just how it was.

**XxX**

She couldn't help but giggle at the sight of the bento. She hadn't expected anything perfect, but she hadn't expected this either. The contents were jumbled together, some mixed slightly. The boy obviously wasn't an expert at making boxed lunches, but she couldn't help but think it was wonderful that he tried for himself. Most of the men in her family expected the women to do it for them. Although it wasn't like he had any choice, not having anyone else in his apartment with him.

"Yeah, I've never been good at this." Naruto admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. Another giggle passed by Hinata's lips. She settled back into the tree the two were sitting against and waited for him to start. It was his lunch anyway.

Naruto broke his chopsticks and took a bit of the spicy rice. Then he held some in front of Hinata for her to take. He fed her carefully, Hinata blushing with each bite. This was how she wanted it to be. The small things that they did together, it was just what she wanted. It was their own special kind of affection. It was perfect.

"It's good." She said as she swallowed. Though he lost points in presentation, he made up for it in taste. It surprised her slightly that he could make something so good. She knew better than others that it was possible for the boy to make something besides ramen. But the pale eyed girl didn't know just how much he was capable of making.

"I'm glad. Sakura-chan taught me to cook some things a while ago, saying that I would just clog my arteries if I continued to eat nothing but ramen and pizza." He said with a chuckle. He loved the concern that the medic showed him. She was always trying to get him to eat better. Kakashi had always tried as well, though back then, a thirty year old pervert trying to sneak vegetables in his diet was far beyond creepy.

It was quiet after his comment trailed off. They ate together, both finally feeling better knowing that they could still be together without anything getting in the way. This was how it was supposed to be. Nothing could keep them apart.

"I've really missed you." The blonde said. He stopped eating and was gazing at the blue sky. He set the bento down and couldn't resist slipping his arms around her waist and drawing her to him. Taken by surprise, the girl gasped, but let herself be moved. Hinata raised no protest. Naruto held her close, loving the feel.

"I've missed you too Naruto-kun." She said. She had longed to be held by him so long, missing the feeling. Now she couldn't get enough. She wound her arms around him as well, holding him tight.

"Promise me." Naruto said in a quiet voice.

Hinata looked up at him.

"We'll get through this. And I know we'll be able to be openly together again. I just know it." He said. "So, just promise that you'll wait for me. For us."

"You know you don't have to ask that." Hinata said. "I'll wait for as long as I have to. Promise."

**XxX**

"Alright, one, where did you get the boxes? And two, you already started packing?"

Sasuke and Sakura had just arrived to the Sakura's apartment. When she walked in, she was shocked to see that some of her things had already been put into boxes.

"There were a bunch of boxes lying around the back of the warehouse that's by the hospital. The workers said I could take them." He explained. "And I decided to get a head start on the packing." He said.

"How much did you get done?" Sakura questioned, observing her packed things.

"I did your room and the bathroom." He stated. "Then I started out here before I left."

Sakura gaped. "Y-you packed up my bedroom? MY things?" she asked. He nodded as if it were no big deal. His things were in her room as well and he had just decided to start there.

Sakura ran by him and into her room. She found everything packed away in boxes. She rushed to her dresser and retched open the top drawer. "My underwear! You…you…" she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Sakura, chill."

"How can I when you touched my underwear!" she shouted. And the bathroom, oh dear lord, don't tell her he packed away her 'personal' items too. Would he really be willing to go _that_ far?

The girl moved to her bathroom and opened the cabinet doors. It was empty.

Apparently he was.

**Haha, my kaa-san and nee-san (mom and sister) are trying to put together a cat playhouse. It's hilarious, they just keep yelling at each other. And not I have to tell them how to put it together. 'Cause I'm a genius. **

**Aw, I just wanted to embarrass Sakura so bad. Hope you like it! I'll try to add more fluff if possible in the next chappie! Please review!**


	32. Problematic

**Hm….more fluff you all say? I can try. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but my mom got me this awesome Naruto stocking for Christmas!**

**Hahahahahahahaha….I don't know why I'm laughing. **

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS MINNA! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I have a present for all of you at the bottom after this chapter!**

**And a Happy Birthday to Ryoma-kun. (Any other Prince of Tennis fan would know what I'm talking about!)**

_And even though he's distant and cold, filled with more hate than love, she can't help but smile and take his hand. 'He's my angel.' She thinks silently to herself. 'He's my unsmiling, dark angel.'_

_-Me (Keilah) (Ebil Chameleon)_

"I don't know if I can do this." Sakura said, holding the large sign in her hand. She and Sasuke stood before her apartment, just looking at its old, rundown features. "I mean, do you know how hard I worked for this place?" She said.

No he didn't. And he had never thought that this would be hard for her to do.

"When my parents died, I got the house. But it was so big, and so lonely, that I knew I had to sell it. And with that money, I had to pay off some last bills and things. That left me with just over what I had in my pocket." Sakura explained. She looked down at the black sign; the letters in that bold white font seemed to jump out at her. **'For Sale by Owner.' **Along with that in a smaller print was some contact information.

Sakura continued on with her story. "So I stayed with Kakashi and Genma most of the time. I spent a few nights with Naruto, and believe it or not Sai. Just until I had enough money for my own place. It took nearly a year and a half, and it wasn't much but I was able to afford this place." She said, looking at her place lovingly. "The instant I walked in, it had a comfy, warm feeling. It was home." The way her words came out was almost like a sigh. She had a smile on her face, as she daydreamed of all the memories she had in her apartment.

Sasuke, at a young age had learned not to get too attached to something. It could one day be taken away from you after all. And being the inconsiderate person that he was, he reached by her and took the tape and the sign. He tapped the cardboard to the door like it was nothing. "The first step is always the hardest." He said.

Though Sakura couldn't believe he had just done that, she knew he was right. The first step always was the hardest. And she couldn't help but have doubts about this. She had to think it all over, fully understand what she felt.

First off, Sasuke wanted her to move in with him. Into his home, his large, glorious Uchiha mansion. It had always been her dream, had it not, to live there? But that one, huge house…all for them. It might get lonely at times. But in her mind, maybe not first, maybe not even second, Sakura thought that it might be possible that Sasuke was doing this for the good of their relationship. If they could cooperate and make decisions together, prove that they could make this huge step, what would it prove? They already knew they could live together. Maybe that they had a stronger connection?

Well it was a thought.

Yet, she was sacrificing a lot. Giving up her home just for him. The very thing she worked so incredibly hard for. She hadn't raised much of a protest either. But sacrifices always had to be made in relationships, big and small. They were a test of trust and love.

Was that why she was going with this plan so easily? Was this proof that she was willing to go the distance for Sasuke?

She couldn't help but think that was true. She really couldn't help but love him. No matter how much she told herself that she was possibly setting herself up for getting hurt again, she just didn't care.

"Let's go before I rip that thing apart." She said in a way that made it sound as if she was going to be sick. She turned on her heels quickly and began to walk away. Previously during the day they had been packing, throwing things away, and moving boxes from her place to his. That had taken a very good portion of the day, and it was presently dusk. The sky had a pink hue as it began to fade to a deep purple. The first stars of the night began to shine dimly.

They walked through the streets that were now compiling with couples and families who were going out for dinner and fun. They had to swerve to avoid people as there were some large groups of teenage kids, some younger than Sasuke and Sakura, some older. They were obviously the kids from the normal University.

Sakura couldn't help but notice any little intimate showing between couples. She and Sasuke were technically classified as a couple. They just didn't look the part. Her jade eyes now locked onto a couple who was walking their way at a snails pace, their hands entwined as they moved with slight drunken movements, contributed by their focus on each other rather than the road.

She didn't know what that was like. Being so intimate with someone in public, not caring at all. They looked so happy. It made her stomach drop slightly. Sasuke would never do that. He wasn't an intimate person in the least.

Sasuke, eyes following Sakura's look, noticed what she was looking at. And he knew exactly what was going on in her mind. He knew that that was what she had always wanted. And it couldn't be helped. That was just how Sakura was. But not how he was. He found it, if nothing else, not something to be shown to the general public. It all had to do with self control. He understood small plays of affection, just not going over the top.

And that was why he took Sakura's hand in his own.

The girl looked down at their clasped hands then up at Sasuke. The raven haired man was looking straight ahead, his expression not changing at all. She was surprised to say the least. This was definitely not something she had expected. It was nice of course, just a bit shocking.

"Why don't we find a place to eat? I'll treat you." Sasuke offered. Yes he was being kind. It was all in being a good boyfriend, exactly what he wanted to do. Yes he was holding her hand, but again he was just doing what he thought he should. And he was stepping a bit out of character maybe, but it wasn't for long. And it wasn't a huge difference at all. He still looked as stoic as ever.

But Sakura knew better.

Maybe it was possible for him to change.

**XXX**

The bag opened with a sharp _snap_ and a thick hand reached in to grab the first potato chip. The best bite of the whole bag, right there in his hands. With a _crunch_ he savored the saltiness of the chip and began to devour the rest of the bag.

Chouji walked down the streets as he approached his teammate's house. He had a mission today and before he left, he had decided to visit the couple. When he reached their apartment, he knocked before entering, not waiting for an answer.

The door was unlocked, meaning that someone was obviously home. But it was quiet, unusual for a place that Ino lived in. Maybe she was out?

He noticed the spiky ponytail hanging over the edge of the arm of the couch, and he could hear the soft hums of Shikamaru's rhythmic breathing. As he approached and looked around the couch, he was surprised to see the boy was awake, instead of napping. A chocolate eye looked up at him, looking tired and slightly defeated.

"What's wrong with you man?" Chouji asked as he took a seat in the armchair. He took another handful of chips.

Shikamaru sighed and ran his hands over his face. He sat up, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Ino." He said simply, as if it explained everything. And by the look on his friend's face, it did sum up a lot. The larger man nodded, understanding what he meant. Ino could definitely be a handful.

"What's wrong with her now?" Chouji asked his mouth half full of chips.

"She's pregnant for one." Shikamaru said with a slight smirk. Chouji smiled. "Nah. I guess it's because of what I said, or what I didn't say." He said. The older man cocked his head to the side as if asking him to elaborate. "She just started asking all of these questions. It was sudden, and I didn't answer any of them."

"What'd she ask you?"

It took him a bit before he answered. "She asked me a few things, but what really got me was…if I wanted the baby." He said. His gaze wandered, becoming distant. He felt bad for not saying anything, but what was worse, not answering or lying to her?

"Well, do you want it?" Chouji dared to ask. He had stopped eating and was waiting for the answer. He would push Shikamaru, but he knew that between the two of them, the lazy man most likely would talk. They were always open with each other, hardly ever hiding secrets or anything.

Again Shikamaru hesitated before he said anything. He knew that Ino was in their bedroom. He knew that she could very well be listening in on them. But at some point, she would have to learn the truth. "Honestly," he started, pausing between his words. "I don't. If I had a choice, I wouldn't be having a kid at this moment." He spoke. "But," he added on. "I had always planned on having kids. This is just earlier than I expected. I…I don't know if I'm ready." He admitted.

Chouji knew what he meant. He had heard plenty of times what Shikamaru always planned out for his future. But things didn't go according to plan all of the time. So this was just a miscalculation, something unexpected.

"I'm only eighteen." Shikamaru said. "I'll be nineteen when the baby is born. Same with Ino. And I'm more worried about her than anything. I mean, she's got this worse than I do. I can't imagine what it must feel like to have everyone just stare at you and look at you like…like I don't know what. And they all must be thinking the same thing."

His fists were clenched and for once he looked thoroughly pissed off. This was another side of Shikamaru that Chouji rarely ever saw. The man before him was normally calm and composed. It was strange to see him like this.

"Well then we have to do everything in our power to protect her. You're not alone in this. I love that girl, she's my little sister. And I'm sure if you explain what you just said to me to her, she would understand." Chouji said. He smiled at his friend, offering him encouragement. "Just tell her." He said simply.

Shikamaru knew he was right. He just didn't want Ino to get the wrong impression. If he said that he didn't want the baby, it was possible that she would think he meant her included. That wasn't true at all. He loved her unconditionally, and he wouldn't ever give her up. Even if she got on his nerves sometimes, he still wouldn't want anyone else.

"You're right." Shikamaru said.

Only then did the door from down the hallway open. Walking out into the living room was Ino, her swollen belly leading the way. Her hair was let down and looked as if it had been recently brushed. Her eyes held a pink color and were slightly puffy. She looked miserable, no smile adorning her face. She walked over to the couch and sat right next to Shikamaru, grasping his arm and wrapping her arms around it. She leaned her cheek on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

The genius looked down at her with a perplexed expression. He felt a horrible feeling in his gut when he saw the puffiness of her eyes. So she _had_ been crying. Just the thought made him feel as miserable as she looked.

The three didn't say anything. They didn't look at each other either. The first one to move was Ino who held her right hand out to Chouji. He stared at her hand for a moment before looking at her face. Her expression hadn't changed. Slowly he took her hand in his, just holding it. But Ino tugged at it, signaling that she wanted him to move. Taking the hint, Chouji stood and moved over to the couch to sit next to her.

When he was next to her, only then did she smile. She felt warm, loved, and protected. Two of her favorite men always beside her no matter what. They were a team, but more than that, they were their own family.

This was how it was supposed to be.

**XxX**

"At least let me wash the sheets and everything first."

"What does it matter? You've slept on the ground before, this shouldn't bother you. Just do it tomorrow."

"I know but, there's just something about a dusty bed that puts me off."

Sigh.

"Sorry, I know I'm annoying."

Sakura began to grasp the sheets on the bed, wanting them to be nice and washed first. It was a shock that no one between Team Hebi had gone to the trouble of washing Sasuke's old bed sheets. The thought made her feel…grimy. And it wasn't like they didn't have the supplies. Sasuke had proven that the washer and dryer still worked just fine and Sakura had gotten them laundry detergent so they could wash their clothes.

And now, it was as if Sasuke wanted to keep on with a string of out of character actions. It was proven when he grasped Sakura's wrist to stop her from taking the sheets off. Then what was really out of whack was when he pushed her down onto the bed, him falling on top of her. Sakura was shocked beyond words and she wondered if he did it on purpose or if he fell.

Ha…Sasuke fall. That's funny.

"Uh…" she looked at him, her eyes wide. He looked shocked by what he did; questioning what pushed him to do such a thing. There just couldn't be the possibility that Uchiha Sasuke was feeling (gasp!) playful? No there was no way. But he couldn't see the way he was smirking down at her. Maybe he just felt this oncoming feeling of dominance? It was hard to say. But what was certain was that this was not Sasuke behavior.

"Did they poison you at the restaurant?" Sakura asked in an amused tone. She couldn't help but actually _like_ this side of Sasuke. She always thought that even the most uptight person had to crack and break loose at some point. Plus the dominating aurora was a nice touch. It was down right sexy in her opinion.

Shaking his head Sasuke rolled over onto the other side of his bed. He looked around the room, taking in the familiar sight. It had been so long, yet everything was the same. Besides the dust and occasional spider web. But the memories of his childhood, the things he remembered just flooded into his mind. He could vividly see his parents, his father's stern gaze and his mother's loving one.

As he glanced up at the ceiling, he could see the small hole, still implanted there. When he was about seven he had gotten frustrated with his parents. So he had laid on his bed glaring at the ceiling, until he finally chucked one of his kunai up there. The bad thing was that he was too short to get it down and his father walked in to see it.

It was really amazing how much you could remember just from being in a familiar place.

The bed shifted and Sakura moved closer next to Sasuke. "Thinking?" she asked him. He nodded in response and adjusted the pillows behind him to his liking. Sakura did as well before moving the dark bed covers back and sliding under them. It was one of those rare cool summer nights that she could sleep under the quilt comfortably.

"We'll be busy tomorrow." Sakura said. She inhaled the musky scent of the pillows and sighed. Though it wasn't her favorite smell, it just didn't seem to bother her tonight.

"Aa."

She knew it was no use trying to get a light conversation with him going. He probably had a lot on his mind anyways. So she just laid back down on the bed and settled in to sleep.

-------------

He was a damn good actor.

That was what Sasuke had deduced after laying awake for two hours. He was good at acting, at hiding any emotions he was showing, and at covering them up with fake emotions. It was only a shame, he thought, that he had to possess such useless things in the first place. He was human afterall, and all humans possessed emotions. Now if only they could figure out what Sai was…

So the play he was showing Sakura was working. She didn't seem suspicious of anything and he was doing a good job at acting normal. Like himself. She couldn't see through his act, she couldn't see the anger, the frustration, the wild urges, or the bloodlust. What she saw was Sasuke. And what she was watching unknowingly everyday was a man growing more and more distant.

The reason he wanted to move into his old home was simple. To let Sakura believe that everything was alright. That he was willing to take a new step in their relationship. She seemed to be going down that path which was a good sign. He wanted her to fall irreversibly in love with him. So that no matter what he did, and even if it took time for them to rekindle things, she would still be willing to reestablish a broken relationship.

But there was just one problem that Sasuke had overseen. He never calculated the affects this could have on _him_. Everyday, every minute, every time he was with Sakura, he felt things he knew he shouldn't. He thought nothing of it, brushed it aside, put it in the back of his mind. Feelings were nothing but a weakness. He simply needed Sakura as a wife, a companion to help him restore his clan. She would help with the kids, help train them and hone their skills.

There was just no way he could get attached to her.

They were ninja, and with their lifestyles came death.

Death caused pain to those around the one who is killed. He couldn't get attached to anyone, and he couldn't let any feelings say otherwise.

That's why he ignored the good feelings that were sparked inside of him when she came in contact with him, or even merely met him with an intense gaze. He didn't love her. He didn't even like her like that. He couldn't…it would hurt too much!

He felt constricted under the bed covers. He was tempted to throw them off of himself, but he reframed and instead gently lifted them off. He stepped out of bed and set the covers back in place. He silently walked across the room to the balcony. He slid open the glass door and closed it behind him.

It was refreshing being able to go outside when he wanted. That horrible ankle monitor was gone, much to his relief. There was no threat of the painful shockwaves being sent through his body. There was no threat in being caught or anything. He was finally starting to earn trust. Just what he wanted.

Sasuke took in a deep breath and looked at the clear sky. The stars were glowing brightly, shining down on him. The moonbeams gently caressed his pale face. A trail of stars led the way, the path he wanted to take.

Without hesitation, the raven haired avenger jumped down from the balcony and into the gardens that resided in the backyard. With a burst of speed, he charged for the wall surrounding the estate and gracefully jumped over it, taking off and disappearing into the woods.

**XxX**

**---------------**

_Hours previously_

_----------------_

"Ino, I have to work tomorrow."

"Hm? _Why? _We have to go shopping tomorrow!"

"It's not my fault."

"Is it a mission?"

"Nah. Chuunin exams."

"They're starting already?"

"Yeah. It's been six months and the genin are all ready to take the exam."

"Hm. That's horrible."

"What do you mean horrible?"

"….I mean that….you'll be out a lot…now."

Sigh. "Yeah, but you've lived through it before."

"…"

"Aw, don't mope Ino, and don't eat all of that dinner before I get any."

"_Fine._ But is _she_ going to be here?"

Another long sigh. "…yes…"

"…" He could hear the sound of her lips smacking together as she licked her fingers.

"Don't be jealous. I hate jealousy."

"Yeah well, she's always all over you! And smiling, and flirting. You'd think she'd take the hint that you were taken from the last three times she's been reminded."

Now he could picture her pacing around the kitchen, wooden spoon being waved around angrily as small bits (probably cheesy rice, Ino's new craving) sticking to it were flung around. He choose instead to focus on the TV and not answer her.

"_Are you suffering from an overactive bladder?"_

Although Ino was more entertaining.

"…" There were angry stabbing sound coming from the kitchen that were now making him worry.

"Shika," she didn't sound like she felt like amusing him in any way. "Make sure nothing catches on fire. I have to pee."

And there went her angry steps down the hallway. Making him cringe was the force of the bathroom door being shut.

Troublesome.

**XxX**

_--------------------_

_Still a few hours previous_

_--------------------_

This time she wasn't protesting. This time she was willingly going along with his plan. No hesitation, no questions asked.

"I promise not to run out on you this time." Tenten said with a small giggle. Neji cracked a small smile. She was amazed and completely elated when she noticed how much more Neji had started smiling since they'd been together. It made her feel wonderful.

The pair walked through the streets, on their way to the Hyuuga home before they went to their real destination. They were going to a restaurant for dinner, since their last luncheon was ruined by an outrage. This time, hopefully it would be one hundred percent better.

Tenten had changed before they left her house. She had to rummage through her clothing to find something suitable to wear. She never kept dress clothes on hand, since she never really had the need for it. The only thing she found was a dress, one that Ino had physically forced her into buying. The blonde had forced both Hinata and Sakura to buy their own black dresses as well, claiming that they all should have one on hand and that someday they would all thank her.

Tenten would pay Ino a visit tomorrow.

So she felt slightly odd walking next to Neji who still adorned his ninja attire. She just thanked Kami that the dress wasn't anything over the top. It was a simple halter top, curve hugging, rippled and loose at the bottom, black dress. Nothing fancy yet it really looked fabulous on her. And she never liked wearing dresses.

For some reason, Tenten felt awfully nervous as they walked through the separate Hyuuga village. Even though she had been in Neji and Hinata's home many times before, she had never been in their as more than a friend to one of the residents. What would the family think if they saw her?

Before she knew it, Neji was holding the door open for her to enter the main home. She shook her head and walked in, smiling a thank you at him. Then she waited for Neji to come in and lead the way.

As they walked through the hallways, they did encounter one person. Hiashi was making his way from the dojo when he ran into the pair. He observed them both. "Good evening." He said.

"Hello Uncle." Neji said, his voice filled with respect. He didn't waste anytime as he moved aside and gave Hiashi full view of Tenten who was standing there, looking at the ground shyly. She always felt intimidated by Hiashi. And she hadn't ever really met him. "This is Tenten." Neji stated. "I'm sure you've seen her before, but I don't believe you've been formally introduced."

Hiashi smiled kindly and held out his hand. Tenten took it, her hand so much smaller than his. "It's nice to meet you." He said in a strong voice.

"Nice you meet you too." She said back, though not as strong. She forced herself to keep her head up and she smiled.

"Tenten, that name does sound familiar." Hiashi said, now thinking. "Neji has mentioned you before. You wouldn't happen to be his teammate would you?"

The chocolate eyed girl nodded. "Yes, I am."

Neji spoke up. "I'm taking her out tonight." He informed his uncle. "I came back here so I could change into something more presentable."

Hiashi nodded, never letting the small smile on his face falter. It was the first time ever that Neji had said words like that. He had never dated before or showed any interest. It was a favorable trait to have when you wanted to be a good shinobi, but sometimes it never stayed.

"I see. Well, I'll let you go then. You two have fun tonight." Hiashi said. He squeezed Neji's shoulder before walked past the two and disappearing down one of the hallways.

"He seems nicer than I thought he would be." Tenten said as they resumed down the path towards Neji's room.

"He's kind towards guests." Neji said. Tenten frowned. She wasn't sure about Hiashi. From the things she's heard about him, he never sounded like a nice man. But in person he seemed alright. But she just couldn't get what he had done to Hinata out of her head.

They made it to Neji's room. The pale eyed man allowed Tenten to enter first. Though it wasn't her first time in there, it wasn't a familiar place to Tenten. But one thing for sure was that it just screamed Neji. Plain and simple with books and scrolls everywhere. Not to mention the big bed. She had always imagined that he was the type to like a large bed.

As Neji made his way to his dresser, Tenten sat on the edge of his bed. Her eyes wandered around the room, stopping on a picture frame sitting on his bedside table. She must have overlooked it last time she was in here.

Tenten stretched across the bed and took hold of the picture. She studied the woman in it, looking over her features in awe.

The woman was beautiful beyond words. Her hair was midnight black, long and straight. Her face was pale and seemingly flawless, like an angel. She was grinning widely, causing her nose to scrunch up. And her eyes, her eyes were piercing even though it was a picture. They were a honey gold and to Tenten it felt as if they were looking right at her.

"Neji, who's this?" she questioned.

Turning around, Neji noticed what picture she was looking at. "My mother." He said. He turned his attention back to finding a shirt. Tenten opened her mouth to speak, but Neji beat her to it. "She's no longer with us."

For some reason, Tenten had the feeling that she had died a long time ago. She couldn't pull her eyes off of the picture. "I'm sorry." She spoke quietly. It was sad, that when you didn't have a lot in common with people, the few things you did have in common weren't good things. Both Neji and Tenten lost their parents.

"Thanks." Neji said. He wasn't for going into further explanation, and he was glad that Tenten wasn't pushing it. He found a suitable outfit and shut the dresser drawers. "Now," he said gaining Tenten's attention. The girl set the picture back down and sat up straight. "Would you feel uncomfortable if I changed in here?" he asked.

Immediately a blush crept up her cheeks.

"I'm only asking because it would be a waste of time since the bathroom is so far away. And it would be rude to ask you to stand in the hallway. If you're uncomfortable, then I'll go down there." He said.

Neji…change…in front of her? Oh dear Kami!

"Of course not."

How was she able to say that without stuttering? Alright, she just had to stay calm. This was Neji, she should be…excited?...that he was changing in here. She fell back onto the bed, daring not to look. She stared at the ceiling instead.

_Zip._

The sound of his pants being undone caused her insides to squirm. Her blush deepened and she knew she must look like a strawberry right now. She couldn't help it. The urge was too strong. She turned her head slowly and peered over at Neji. What she got was a huge, warm swooping sensation. He stood there in his boxers. _Cute_ boxers never the less. Ones with little skulls all over them.

'_Don't jump him!' _Tenten repeated in her head over and over again. She forced her eyes closed. She continued to hear the rustling of his clothing.

"I'm all finished…strawberry." Neji said, adding the last word in a smug amused tone. Tenten opened her eyes to see Neji with nice black dress pants and a button up white shirt that looked as though it was a bit too small with the way his muscles jumped out. She could help but feel embarrassed that he was making fun of her blushing. The Hyuuga genius held out his hand and Tenten took it, allowing him to pull her up to her feet.

"Can't handle a little skin?" Neji teased. Tenten gaped slightly, partly because of his playful attitude and partly because of what he said. Glaring, she punched his arm.

"Shut up."

-------------------

"Hyuuga Neji!"

"Really, oh gosh where?"

"Is he coming here?"

"Who's _she?"_

Going out to eat just didn't seem possible for the couple. Both Neji and Tenten's eyes widened at the sight of the fan girls now rushing towards them. And of course they had to be right in front of the restaurant they were planning on going to.

They looked like a bunch of University girls, between eighteen and nineteen. All of them were dressed almost identical. Short skimpy skirts, exposing shirt, and knee high boots. Each of them had a distinguishable hand bag as well, signaling that they came from families with money.

"Neji-san, what brings you here?" One girl, a tall blonde, asked. She smiled, showing off her pristine white teeth.

Neji didn't answer and instead glared at her.

"Neji-sama." A brave girl with long dark green hair stepped out. She didn't smile. She kept the scowl on her face as if it belonged there permanently. "It's true that you are looking for a wife, is it not?"

Again he didn't answer, wishing that they would take the hint that he wasn't interested. This girl obviously wasn't going to give up. "I'm Yushi Lilana. My father told me that you were trying to find a wife." She said, holding her head high. "My father is Yushi Hirako. Our family is a big producer of custom ninja tools. We do a lot of business with your clan." She informed Neji.

Tenten glared at the girl. She wanted nothing more than to punch her or something.

"So as you can see, we both come from highly respected clans and our clans _are_ in business with each other."

And finally he had had enough. Neji completely blew her off, taking Tenten's hand and turning around. They walked away, leaving the group to gawk and glare at their backs.

"I don't feel like eating there if they're going to be there." Neji said with a grumpy look. "And it seems that Hiashi-sama had already spread the word about me. Exactly what I didn't want him to do."

Tenten smiled at him sympathetically. She knew that that wasn't the only time he was going to get scavenged down for proposals. She could only be inwardly glad that he had already picked her.

But what if he found another girl more interesting?

Someone with more money, more respect. Some prettier, smarter, better than her. The thought scared her. Would Neji be that heartless?

No. She had to think positive. He said he loved her, and she believed him. She would stand by him no matter what.

"You know, I think it might be safer if we go back to my place. I can cook for tonight." Tenten suggested. "Just in case there are more from the Hyuuga Neji-sama fan club." She added on with a giggle.

Neji wasn't amused by the joke but her suggestion sounded good to him. "Alright." He agreed and they walked back down the streets towards her apartment.

Still holding hands.

**Oh, please don't fret now. You can guess where Sasuke went, but I won't tell you until next chapter!**

**And I guess that was highly lacking in the fluff department. I'm really very sorry. **

**So how about your present? Here it is!**

**How about an uber cute( and slightly retarded) Team 7 + Genma (SasuSaku) (and a lil bit of SakuX everyone else) Christmas drabble?**

_**Tradition**_

"We don't have to stay all night."

"…"

"And would you smile at least once. People are starting to think your face froze while you were frowning."

"…"

Sakura sighed. It was no use. She knew Sasuke didn't want to come to Kakashi's for Christmas Eve, but she had forced him to come. It was tradition that the whole team gather at one of the member's houses the night before Christmas so they could exchange gifts and such. The pink haired girl shifted the bag of goodies and knocked on the door.

Her masked ex- teacher now teammate answered the door, smiling behind his mask. "Come in you two." He said and stepped out of the way for them both. Sasuke walked past him and into the home and Sakura was about to when Kakashi stopped her. He held in his hand above both of their heads a sprig of mistletoe. Smirking, Sakura shook her head.

"You're at it again aren't you?" she question. His visible eye scrunched up, signaling that 'yes' he was. "Just remember that I now have a boyfriend here."

"This is our own tradition. And you can't go against tradition." He said, amused greatly. Sakura rolled her eyes, stepped up on her tippy toes and for once was thankful that Kakashi wore a mask. Even for times like these he wouldn't take it off. She placed a very light kiss on his covered lips and stepped through the door.

The team had taken a Christmas tradition, and made their tradition, started one year by Naruto after he and Sakura had ended up under the mistletoe three times in one night. Sakura believed that they did it just to torture her. The plan was to set up, or hide sprigs of mistletoe throughout the house. If Sakura happened to stand under one, or even touch one, then the closest person to her was to kiss her. And as a reward for her going along with the event, she was allowed to make any two people of her choosing kiss.

Last years winner was Kakashi, and already it looked as though he was getting a head start. Never had she found it annoying. In fact, it was fun for her and she got to kiss a lot on Christmas Eve. Oh yes, lot's of fun.

"I won't be caught so easily." She told Kakashi who gave her daring look.

"I'll hold you to that." He said. "And just so you know, Genma is trying to prepare snacks."

Sakura frowned. "You've got to be kidding me." She said now raising an eyebrow.

Kakashi shook his head and followed her back into the house. He watched as Naruto waved excitedly in Sakura's direction and Sai simply smiled at her. She waved back and after setting her bag of presents down ventured into the kitchen, prepared to help Genma who couldn't do anything in the kitchen. She had always thought he should never even be allowed in the kitchen.

In the living room, Naruto picked up his cup of eggnog and just before he brought it to his lips he sniffed it.

"It's rum." Kakashi informed him.

The blonde looked skeptical. "I'm just making sure. After last year…" he shuddered, not wanting to remember what was even in that drink that sent him running the bathroom.

"It would be pointless to poison the eggnog again Dickless." Sai said. "Though maybe not since your memory hasn't ever been the greatest." He smiled in Naruto direction and the blue eyed boy was looking for something to chuck at the artist.

"God damnit Genma!" Sakura's shouts exploded from the kitchen. She looked more annoyed than angry as she marched out into the living room, a large bowl of hot buttery popcorn in her hands. She set it down on the coffee table where Naruto lunged for it.

"He got ya didn't he?" Naruto asked, his mouth full of the puffed up corn.

It was useless as she attempted to hide the pout. "Yes." She said quietly. "He hid it around the edge of the bowl so when I picked it up I would touch it. And of course he asked me to bring this out here."

Chuckling, Genma made his way into the living room. "It was the perfect opportunity." He said. Sakura gave him an empty glare. He held his arms open. "Well?"

Sighing, the girl walked over to him, once again having to stand on her toes to reach. She gave him a light kiss and pulled back tasting the rum on his lips. Her nose scrunched up. She never had the tongue for alcohol.

"Lay off the eggnog." She said and wiped her mouth. Genma frowned.

Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Sakura spun around and noticed Sasuke looking at them suspiciously. She cursed under her breath. Of course he would be wondering what was going on. It was, afterall, his first Christmas back with the team and also his first time attending one of their parties. So he knew nothing of their 'tradition.'

"Ah…"

"Haha, Teme are you jealous?" Naruto asked in a mocking tone. He stood up and carefully slipped in by Sakura who was stunned in place by Sasuke's questioning look. "I mean, it is tradition. So you shouldn't be upset if I accidentally caught her under a mistletoe right?"

Those words registered in Sakura's head and she looked up, noticing more mistletoe now in Naruto's hand. He had some great timing. Leaning down, Naruto caught her lips with his in a brief kiss. He just scored one and he was making Sasuke even more jealous. Perfect.

"Tradition?" Sasuke questioned. Yes he fully understood the mistletoe tradition. Two people get caught under a mistletoe, they kiss. But he felt as though he was missing out on something here.

"Well this is Sasuke's first Christmas with us." Kakashi said, lounging back in his armchair. He was enjoying every minute of this. "So he doesn't know of _our_ tradition." He said.

Genma plopped down on the couch, smirking as he sipped more eggnog. "You see, we took the mistletoe tradition to a whole new level. For us, it's a game. Whoever catches Sakura under a mistletoe the most times wins. Simple as that." He said.

"Or," Kakashi butted in. "If she touches it, or is under it alone, the closest person to her is the lucky man."

Sasuke continued to frown. Maybe this was why Sakura wanted to come so bad. But seriously, what kind of game is that? Get more kisses from _his_ girlfriend and that man wins. Oh he'd be willing to give them a prize. A cheerful black eye and a joyful bloody nose. Sounded great.

"Relax Sasuke. We've done it for the past three years. It's not a big deal." Sakura said, trying to sound reassuring. She sat on the couch between Sasuke and Genma and leaned on his shoulder. "Just try to beat them, that's all you have to do."

"I'd rather not." He said.

"Oh come on." Sakura said. "Don't you want to kiss me?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I can kiss you whenever I damn well want to."

Sakura huffed.

The night progressed and, much to Naruto's enjoyment, it was time to open their presents.

Sakura handed out everything she had gotten for her team, with no thanks to Sasuke. She had just included him on tags. She knew that no one would believe that he put thought into any of their gifts. Nope, he put in nothing put in his wallet. And his wallet was forced into it.

Naruto ripped his gift and then let out an excited squeal. He looked over the free Ichiraku meal gift certificates, he smiled lovingly at the chibi fox plushy, but he hugged the box that contained a new MP3 player in it. Sakura was glad he liked it.

"Since I…kinda smashed your other one." She said in an apologetic tone. "

"Thanks Sakura-chan. And you to Sasuke-teme."

Kakashi frowned at the watch. Ah, just another one to add to his collection. Sakura smiled at the look and giggled. "I told you. Until you show up on time, I'm going to get you a new watch every Christmas." She informed him. She then pulled out a larger box from her bag and handed it to him. "But I'll get you other things as well."

The silver haired man opened the gift. He let out a squeal equal to Naruto's. There in his hands was a box set containing every single special edition, specially autographed by the author himself, Icha Icha book. And there was also the new book, Icha Icha Attack, that wasn't even on sale yet. He could have died just now.

"Thank you so much." He said smiling. Sakura nodded.

Genma opened his. An ornamental box filled with custom made senbon. They were of all different sizes, colors, and designs. There were a few that Sakura had asked to be made for poisons. They were convenient so that they could hold poison on the inside and it would be undetectable. And the poison wouldn't come out unless it was taken out or it hit its target.

Genma smiled in her direction and mouthed 'thank you' before picking up one senbon that was carefully decorated with delicate cherry blossoms.

And lastly was Sai who was slow in opening gifts. He wasn't one for tearing the paper right off. He was perfect, pulling it apart where it was tapped and not letting the paper be torn in any place.

When he finally got it open, he was looking at a shiny new black box. It was almost identical to the one he had at his house. The only difference was the elegant tiger design sketched on the top of the box. He ran his hands over it and finally opened it. There was a large array of new art supplies. From paints to pastels, to colored pencils, to watercolors. There were more colors than the one he had at home.

He looked over at Sakura and nodded, smiling as his own way of saying 'thank you.' She smiled back, loving the look of what was closer to a real smile than his normal forced fake one. She knew he would love it.

"Sakura you haven't opened any." Naruto noticed. The girl looked down at the small stockpile of gifts and took the first one. Then Naruto looked over at Sasuke. "It's not going to bite you." He said, stifling a chuckle.

Sasuke opened one gift and hadn't moved since then. For once he looked almost, _almost_, frightened. "Dobe," he said slowly. "where the _hell_ did you get this?"

Naruto paused from opening his other gift. "I bartered it off of one of your little fangirls." He said smirking broadly. "All I had to do was trade her a picture of you with your shirt off and she was putty in my hands."

Sasuke held it at arms length. It was _smiling_ at him. What the hell, it _was_ him. "What…the…fuck."

Naruto couldn't hold in his laughter any longer. "It's a custom made Sasuke plush doll." He choked out. The rest joined in. Sakura took the doll from Sasuke and examined it.

"You sure it wasn't meant for me? It actually smiles!" she said. The doll was wonderfully made. It did look like Sasuke. His clothes, his hair…everything looked like Sasuke. It even had an Uchiwa on it's back. The only difference was the closed eyes and the happy face.

She handed it back to Sasuke who hastily set it on the floor. When Sakura looked up, he noticed Sai motion her from across the room. She observed him carefully, looking for any mistletoe. He looked clean. She went over and kneeled before him on the floor.

Sai handed her a small square box, a red ribbon tied around it. Sakura's mouth hung open as she took the ribbon off and opened the box. There was a necklace inside. A large heart pendant stayed in place on a chain. What was special about it was the custom hand painted cherry blossom on the pendant. She knew that Sai painted it and she couldn't thank him enough.

"Sai….thank you so much."

The man shrugged off her words. "It's coated so that the paint won't chip off." He said.

Sakura gave him a small hug and was about to move back to her seat. His hand clasped around her wrist. She looked at him and he simply pointed upward at the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. "How did you…?"

"Did you notice anything about me since you came?" He asked.

Sakura racked her brains, trying to remember anything. But she couldn't. Sai hadn't done anything she came here. So then how….oh. She smiled at her own air headedness. "You never moved. Which means it's been there the whole time and you were waiting for me." She said. "Clever."

Sai nodded. Sakura leaned into him and kissed him. She pulled away and smiled. "But I won't fall for it twice." She said and moved back over to the couch.

"Hm." Kakashi mused. "It seems that we've all gotten her once, except someone." His looked was pointed at Sasuke.

Sasuke frowned. "I said no."

Sakura pouted. "Oh come on. It's for the good of the game and the good of competition. Besides I take offense to someone who says they don't want to kiss me." 

"Well sorry to disappoint you."

"You really can be a jerk sometimes."

"Hn."

"Ahem."

Both looked up to see Naruto casually leaned his elbow on the back of the couch, mistletoe in hand as he held it above their heads. "You've got no choice now." He said.

Sasuke glared and Sakura turned to Sasuke. "He's right you know." She said and leaned into her boyfriend. Sasuke sighed. Whatever.

He pulled Sakura into a kiss, a real kiss. It was longer, harder, better than any other kiss Sakura had received tonight. She melted into his touch and held him tighter.

"Jeez. Get a room if you have to." Naruto said with a disgusted look. The pair pulled away and both glared at him.

"What'd you say Dobe?"

"Oh you heard me you horny bastard."

Sakura ignored their arguing. "Hey Kakashi, can I make my decision yet? We can continue the game." She said referring to the other portion of the tradition. The part where she gets to pick who she wants to kiss. The jounin shrugged, not minding at all.

The girl slipped the mistletoe out of Naruto's hand and stood up on the couch. She sniggered as she held it above Sasuke and Naruto's heads, waiting for them to notice. "Oh boys." She said in a sugar coated tone. They stopped and looked at her. Both groaned.

Naruto looked at Sakura with a look that read, _'Why Sakura? Why must you be so cruel?'_ Sasuke on the other hand glared, his look reading, _'Do you really want to sleep on the couch tonight?'_

Sakura smiled devilishly.

"Kiss and make up. _Now._"

**Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing at the picture of a weirder out Sasuke starting a smiling plush doll of himself. I hope you enjoyed that as much as I love writing it. Please review!**


	33. What you do to the ones you say you love

**I thank you all again and again for your continuing support. Please read and enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: My cat likes cheese (she's licking it out of my bowl right now) and I love Naruto. My cat is the lucky one. **

**And yes, there is a little lemony-lime in here. It's a lemon, but not horribly detailed. I've marked it for those who wish to skip over it.**

"…yeah, and then Lee fell from the tree and his vest got stuck on the tree branch. I still think his face was priceless when you had to go up and get him." Tenten giggled, almost drunkenly. Neji smirked at the memory. "We really are a dysfunctional team." She sighed, placing the blame mainly on her kooky teammate and leader. As her giggles died down, she felt a shiver run up her spine. It was the third time that night that that had happened.

"Wow, it's eleven." The girl noted as she looked at her clock. She had never noticed that it had gotten so late. After dinner, she and Neji had quite literally just sat down and talked. She did most of the talking, but it was nice since he added in side comments and talked in some short sentences. They reminisced about old team moments. Then, amazingly they had talked about the future.

She was the first out of her small group of friends, to get engaged. And the way it happened was so unexpected; she was still having a hard time believing it. But she couldn't help but ask him the questioned that was on her mind.

"_Will your family really approve of me?"_

_Neji looked at her, wondering how long she had been wanting to ask him this. "Honestly, I don't know." He answered truthfully. Her looked changed and suddenly she looked worried. "But that doesn't matter," he continued. "All that matters is what I want. I told you, I won't take anyone else as my bride." He promised her. _

_A smile suddenly adorned her face. She felt assured now, but there was one other question she had for him. "What are typical Hyuuga weddings like?"_

_Rolling his pale eyes, Neji answered. "It depends on where you stand in the family. Lower, branch family members usually have smaller, private weddings, if they choose to do so. But for main branch family members, the weddings can be a big deal." Tenten's eyes widened slightly as all of the possibilities ran through her mind. "If you would like to, you could ask Hinata about our cousin Ririn's wedding. She is part of the main branch family; we can just leave it at. There were over one hundred guests. And that was just our family, not including her friends." He finished off with a slight smirk. _

Outside, Tenten could hear the wind picking up and howling away. It made the trees rustle wildly and she could hear them beat against her home. "It got really windy." She noted. Standing up, she moved over to the window and glanced outside. Dark, angry clouds were rolling into the area at a rapid pace. Small raindrops were starting to fall and they proceeded to come down harder over time. The shiver that ran down her spine now was slightly harsher and she could feel the hairs on her skin stand on end.

The soft hum of the television being turned on caught her attention. Neji tuned into the weather channel and watched as a tall brown haired man explained the effects of the storm that was approaching them.

"…_with torrential downpours and wind gusts in excess of seventy miles per hour! There have been reports of medium sized hail. Now, if we take a look at the numbers of lightening strikes that have touched the ground, the numbers are fairly high." _A new map came up showing scattered, large groups of white dots all around different areas of Fire country. _"Anyone who is in the path of this storm is advised to take shelter immediately, and not to go outside. Again, this is the remains of what was Typhoon Yumi, now Tropical storm Yumi. Here's Yoshika with…" _

The man was cut off as Neji abruptly shut the TV off. They sat there in silence for a moment, until a roar of thunder ripped through the sky. Tenten hurriedly sat on the couch, her arms hugged tightly around herself.

She wasn't terribly afraid of thunderstorms. They just made her nervous. When she was younger she was always afraid of them. And she never had parents to turn to or anything. So she had to sit through out on her own and they had always seemed to go on forever. Over the years, she had grown to not fear thunderstorms as much, but she couldn't shake the anxiety. The lonely feeling that pulsed through her when one occurred. She didn't fear the storms themselves, but instead she feared the feelings that she got from them. Reminding her, that for so long she was alone.

"Tenten?"

The girl was unresponsive. Her eyes grew distant and they lost their familiar luster. Her body shook lightly.

"Tenten, what's wrong?" Neji questioned looking at her with concern. He reached out and lightly touched her arm, causing the girl to jump and stare at him. A look that reached out for him, pleadingly.

And reality snatched Tenten in its grasp and suddenly she was shaking her head. "I'm sorry." She said in a voice that was an octave higher than normal. "I just…spaced out. Sorry." She repeated over.

The rain began to pound harder, dripping down the window at a rapid pace. Lightning lit the sky for a brief second, before it dimmed back down into darkness. The thunder shook the building with its massive force, growling angrily in the sky.

"I guess you're staying the night." Tenten said with a worried glance out the window. The jitters in her stomach were growing and the shivers seemed never ending. She couldn't shake it, the nervousness, the feelings she was having. She tried so hard to suppress them, but it was hard.

"Tenten, tell me what's wrong?" Neji asked again.

Caught off guard, she smiled a non-realistic smile. "I'm alright." She lied quietly. Standing up off the couch, she looked down at Neji. "I think I'm going to bed." She said.

Neji stood up as well. "Do you mind sharing a bed?" he questioned.

Tenten moved first, walking down the hallway towards her room. "No." she answered, opening the door. The room was pitch black and her hand groped around the wall as she attempted to find the light switch. With one flick of her wrist, the room lit up. Her bed was messed up; she never was one for making her bed in the morning. She had items littered around her bedside table, crammed around the lamp. She had a display of some of her weapons, scattered unorganized on her dresser.

"I'm just going to change." She said, her voice quivering as another rumble of thunder sounded. She grabbed a long white t-shirt and light green pajama shorts and left for the bathroom.

After she changed she hastily unwrapped her hair, setting it free from the buns. Picking up her hair brush, she ran it through her silky, deep brown locks. No tangles, no knots. The brush ran through smoothly, her hair slightly wavy and bouncing as the brush was pulled through.

She felt so cold. Tenten felt as though her insides had been frozen. The horrible memories flooded through her mind and she wanted nothing more than to hide under her covers like she did for every other thunderstorm. She couldn't fight off that damned lonely feeling.

That's what thunderstorms did her. As a child, she was frightened of them. With no one to turn to, she felt alone and she was always afraid. So she hid, the only thing she could do. And as she got older, the effects just seemed worse. Mentally worse. She would hide, and shake, and remember being alone. Being scared, and being alone.

But this time she was holding up better. Neji was here, she had to put on a brave face. And he was someone she could turn to right? She wasn't alone for once. He was there, for her. Suddenly she felt less alone.

And in that instant the lights went out and all of the power in the surrounding area was cut off.

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"NEJI!"

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So it was a stupid idea to go that night. And even when he jumped off that balcony and could smell the rain in the air, he didn't bother to stall. What was a little ran.

Well, a tropical storm was another story. The rain pelting his skin actually hurt as it hit. The thunder was deafening and the lightning was blinding. The wind was strong as it whipped around him and he had to run with chakra induced feet to ensure that he wouldn't be thrown back by the force.

He never realized that the storm would move in so quickly. It had looked so calm when he left, and the sky had turned from tranquil to murderous in the blink of an eye.

So he ran as fast as he could back home. His whole plan was ruined. All he wanted to do was get out and run around. Explore a bit and train. He didn't deal well at being kept inside, and he wanted to clear his mind. He was so used to traveling and being able to go out and do as he pleased, that being monitored and questioned was driving him insane.

Ah, there it was. The boarder of the wall, just outside the boarder of the forest. His safety spot.

Right at the moment he jumped over the wall, a loud crack of thunder and a bright flash of lightening set off simultaneously. He landed on the other side with a dull thud that was drowned out by the drone of the rain.

He jumped up onto the balcony and as quietly as he could slipped back into his bedroom, dripping wet. He was silent as he walked to the door so he could get a towel from the bathroom. The room was so dark that he couldn't see the silhouette sitting up in bed, obviously waiting for him to return.

Another flash of lighting lit up both of forms.

Sasuke froze when he noticed Sakura wasn't sleeping. She was sitting up, her figure dark and faintly standing out from the dark background. He could feel the guilt in his stomach. Oh he was in for it now.

"Where were you?" her voice quivered and broke, and it was obvious that she was extremely upset, afraid, worried, and a mess of other things.

Sasuke could make out a small white blob sitting in front of Sakura, who he recognized as Shira. The kitten, by the looks of it was sleeping, peacefully ignoring the harsh sounds of the storm and enjoying the pleasurable petting her owner was providing. He looked back up at Sakura who was waiting for an answer. "Out." He answered simply.

Her tearful eye roll was camouflaged by the darkness and another sharp crack of thunder boomed in the distance. The rain pounded harder and it seemed as though the sky grew darker if possible. The clock that they had put on the desk went blank as the power was cut off. Sakura shivered uncomfortably.

The medic then stood up off of the bed causing Shira to jump down and run out the slightly opened door. Sakura took a step towards Sasuke. "Why?" she questioned demandingly, yet softly. She tried her hardest to hide the pain she was feeling, to hide her overpowering freight. She bit her lip.

"Why do you need to know?" Sasuke asked coldly. "I came back didn't I?"

Sakura took another step forward, getting into his face. "Because I care Sasuke!" she said in a stronger voice. "You have no idea how frightening it is to wake up and you're not there. You don't understand…how hard it is…"

He had to take a deep breath to remain calm. She didn't think he understood anything. But he understood a hell of a lot more than she did. He'd seen things that even the most advanced ninja hadn't. He'd seen pain; he'd seen misery, anger, hate, wrath, passion, bloodlust, anguish, love, heartbreak. He'd seen it all. And maybe he didn't know exactly how she felt, but he had a pretty good idea from personal experience.

"Where did you go?" Sakura demanded again, fire in her jade orbs. They were close, close enough that Sasuke could feel her body heat radiate off of her. Sakura looked up, glaring at him. She hated being so much shorter than him. She wanted to look at him at eye level, instead of trying to glare at him when her head only came to the bottom of his chin.

"I just wanted to go out. To think." Sasuke replied, his arms crossing over his chest defiantly. More thunder sounded.

"You could have told me instead of just taking off." She answered back.

Sasuke's breathing hitched, and his eyes burned angrily. "You don't trust me." He said in a dangerous, accusing tone. In turn, he took a step towards Sakura causing their bodies to touch. He began to push her back until she hit the wall by the door behind her. Sakura knew he was acting in a threatening way, but she remained calm.

"No." she said. "With your past, I don't know if you're going to run out on me again. Leave all of us hanging. And now I'm scared more than ever Sasuke." Her hand slowly eased its way between them and landed on her stomach. "I lost your child." She said sadly. "I couldn't protect it. I couldn't protect myself. I just caused you trouble. Why would you want someone so weak? Someone who can't even protect the very thing you want?" she asked in a shaking voice. Her eyes glazed and she gazed up at his stoic face.

It was his time to shake his head. "_You_ don't understand." He said almost mockingly. She gasped.

"W-what?"

His look turned dark and cold once more and it sent shivers though Sakura's body. The rain pounded on the rooftop, the window, and all around. The thunder growled, the lighting slashed through the sky. The wind howled in agony.

"Shouldn't I be asking that? Why would you want someone like me? I have nothing to give you. I can't give you a satisfactory life. I can't give you happiness. I can't give you love." He never took his eyes off of hers and he watched as the pain fully washed over her.

Sakura could clearly see the pain of the past pooled in his dark eyes. The aching memories that will never leave him, just sitting there. "I understand." She said softly. "I understand how you feel. About your past and everything." Her hand reached out and stretched to caress his cheek.

But he pulled away from her touch, and gave her one of the coldest looks ever. "You really think you understand?" for a moment he sounded almost amused. "What do you understand about having everything taken from you? Having your whole family murdered by someone you trusted. Someone you looked up to and loved?" he was shouting at this point, not being able to take it. His hands slammed into the wall on either side of Sakura's head and he was breathing erratically.

Slowly again, Sakura reached and this time he didn't pull away as she caressed his face. She felt the softness of his skin, no imperfections in sight. His body lit up as lightning flashed and in that instant her blank eye narrowed.

_Slap_

The blow echoed after the thunder and Sakura glared at him long and hard. Sasuke looked in shock, not expecting that from her at all.

"You don't think I understand huh?" she was now the one yelling, shouting at him, to him, right in his face. He took in her words with narrowed eyes, his cheek stinging harshly. "I understand a hell of a lot better than you think!" she shouted. "My family was taken from me. _By _the sole person I loved, and still love with all of my heart. And that person had to leave me, _try to kill me!_ I've been broken beyond repair. I've been stomped on and used. I'm been called the worst things ever and yet I managed to go on. I didn't seek revenge. Revenge will _not_ bring my parents back to me." She ended on a harsh note and glared as hard as she could. His face pulled back from its cold look into a blank expression.

It really was true, that the few things you had in common with people really were unfavorable.

"I love you Sasuke. I just don't trust you. Not yet." She said in tender voice. She couldn't help it as the tear drops fell from her eyes. It was a relief to get that off of her chest.

He didn't love her. He couldn't love her. He couldn't get attached. But…he couldn't help himself. Pent up emotions, once again clouding his judgment, but this time without the use of alcohol.

He leaned down and kissed her, long, hard, drawing her to him in an almost needing grip. His hand tangled in her hair as he deepened the kiss, pulling her flush to his soaking wet body.

Sakura was shocked by his actions and didn't know if she should go along with it or pull away. She knew if she let this carry on, she wouldn't be able to hold her anger for him for long. Tentatively she responded, moving her lips against him and even gasping when she felt his tongue pass by her lips. How far was he going to take this?

**Lemon****-Lime Sprite**

She was pushed back into the wall, Sasuke's body leaning right up against hers. His hands traveled down along her sides to her hips and rested there. He pulled away from their heated kiss and placed small kisses along her jaw line, then down her neck. He licked and nipped at the smooth pale flesh, leaving small marks behind.

Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed. Rain poured, and wind wailed.

Sakura could feel the heat of pleasure edging her forward into something she shouldn't. This wasn't anything familiar to her. She had no memories from the previous time she and Sasuke did make out like this and it felt like her first time. So she gripped Sasuke's shirt tighter, holding him closer, savoring the good feelings.

Her breathing deepened and she let out a low moan as the raven haired man suckled on a sensitive spot on her neck. That moan sent sparks through Sasuke's body and he pulled the girl over to the bed and pushed her down before climbing on top of her, like a lion after its prey. His hands slipped under her shirt, running over her flat stomach and finally lifting the garment up and over her head, tossing it to the floor. Sakura did the same, tugging at his shirt wanting the thing removed. Sasuke sat up and pulled his shirt off, tossing it to the side. Sakura reached up and pulled him down, their bodies flush together. The heat of their skin in contact sent good vibes down Sakura's spine.

Then his lips descended onto hers once more, kissing her hungrily. He felt the lust course through his body. His hands roamed her frame, running down her back. Sakura ran her small hands over his chest to his stomach, amazed with the firm muscles.

And as they continued to kiss, they hurriedly slipped under the bed covers while removing the rest of their clothing.

Sakura moaned pleasurably, softly crying out his name. "Sas...suke" She felt on fire, her whole body burning with blazing passion and lust. She couldn't remember ever feeling this good. Being so close, so intimate with someone. It was mind blowing. And to think they'd done this already. It was so foreign, yet her body just responded on its own.

Sasuke looked at Sakura questioningly. She opened her eyes, glazed over with lust and nodded, signaling she was ready.

And in that instant she felt the pain, cringing and wishing it would go away. She was almost tempted to push Sasuke away, to stop the pain. But she just but her lip, hissing his name. "Saaas….uke." She opened her eyes to see his were clenched shut and he was breathing harder.

When Sasuke did open his eyes, they stared at each other, not moving. Both were breathing heavily, their chests coming in contact with each breath.

And then they were lost with mind blowing sensations. Heated touch, burning kisses, sparks and tingles. They found a rhythm together. Sakura's moans rang out through the room, only being heard by Sasuke before they were overpowered by the booming thunder. The warm pool, now hotter, tighter grew in her stomach. She felt like she was on fire and she pulled Sasuke down into a heated kiss.

"Argh…Sasuke…"

It felt like she let everything go, all her emotions, all of her anger and pain, her lust and built up anguish just washed away and she felt dazed.

Sasuke felt the same way as he groaned and collapsed on her, panting heavily. He felt like everything just left him, and he felt relieved and peaceful at mind. Finally he rolled over onto the other side of Sakura and both of them laid there for a moment, calming down from the slight daze they were put in.

Panting, Sakura was the first to try and speak. "That…that was…" she wasn't able to finish her sentence. Sasuke just nodded and they both basked in the afterglow.

**Lemon**** over**

**-----------------**

"Byakugan!"

Neji cursed that the power had to go out. He couldn't see as well in the dark, but he was lucky for his bloodline. Now he could see clearly and he made his way quickly to the bathroom where he heard Tenten yell. The door was open and he could see her trembling, arms wrapped securely around her knees as she muttered words that he could barely make out.

"Alone…cold…so cold…"

No tears fell from her eyes. Instead she looked as though she had just seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide, no light in them at all. Neji knelt beside her, not at all concerned that at the moment he was half naked, his shirt left back in the girl's room. Delicately, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

And the small form of contact sent the girl flying into him, forcing them both to tumbled to the cold tiled floor. Her arms wrapped around him and holding him tight. Neji was startled by the sudden reaction, but knew that he had to set his uncomfortable feelings aside and help her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her, hoping she would calm down.

Thinking it would be better, Neji moved and picked the shaking girl up into his arms and carried her back into the bedroom. He carefully set her down on her bed and pulled the bedcovers up. Tenten clung to the covers, pulling them up to her chin. Neji moved to the other side of the bed and climbed in, reaching out for Tenten and pulling her to him. He knew that she needed him right now, and though he wasn't great at comforting people, he would try his hardest. Even if just holding her helped he would do it.

Tenten felt his warmth and the coldness she was engulfed in warmed a little. She wrapped her arms around Neji, needing the contact.

The storm continued on, pounding away.

Tenten wanted to speak, to explain everything. But she couldn't find her voice. She just trembled lightly in his arms, overjoyed for the comfort he gave him. He was taking the pain away. He was showing her that she wasn't alone anymore. She had someone to turn to. Someone she could rely on.

"Thank you." She choked out. She looked up at his face, looking concerned for her wellbeing and she felt even more grateful. Almost unsure of herself, she stretched up and gently kissed his lips before lying back down and snuggling into his chest, her head resting perfectly beneath his chin.

Neji whispered quietly. "Oyasumi."

------------

Hinata felt exhausted as she woke up the next morning. As though she didn't get any sleep the night before. The rain had ended and the storm had moved on, leaving a clear sky for the sun to sparkle.

She was on the edge of the bed and as she looked around she noticed she wasn't in her room. She noticed thing that she did recognize though. Messy floor, pictures on the wall, bright orange ninja attire.

She was in Naruto's room!

Next to her she heard a sigh and an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her the person behind her. She tried not to giggle when she felt the soft touch of a pair of lips of the back of her neck, whiskers tickling her skin.

Oh shit she was naked!

The moment that sank in the events of last night flooded into her mind and she blushed furiously. Oh her father would be _pissed_ if he ever found out. Hell, he'd be beyond pissed and Naruto would be hunted like a…a…fox.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata said softly, prodding him slightly with her elbow. He groaned, but didn't wake.

"Naruto-kun." She said a bit louder, she nudged him a bit harder, harder than she meant to and the boy jerked awake.

"I didn't mean to oversleep Sakura-chan! Don't beat me! I'll be good on the mission!" he said alarmingly. The blanket slid down considerably when he sat up and Hinata squeaked and grabbed them, pulling it back up her body. Naruto looked down at her, with an almost confused look. But then he must have remembered the previous night as well. He looked as though he didn't know whether to beam with pride or be totally frightened.

"Ah…"

Hinata couldn't stop the nervous in her stomach as she bit her thumb, an old habit that didn't occur unless she was extremely nervous.

Neither knew what to say, and they just stared at each other awkwardly.

Naruto finally spoke. "Alright. I guess last night was…un-expecting." He said. Hinata nodded worriedly.

"My father's going to be furious." She said. "He's going to ask me where I was." She sounded scared and she had every right to be. There was no telling what her father would do if he found out where she was.

"That's why you have to act normally. And if he asks, tell him you were with Sakura-chan, or Tenten, or Ino. Someone other than me. I know you can do that." He said, looking her straight in the eye.

The girl gripped the blanket tightly and nodded. She looked at the clock. It read ten o'clock. "Oh gosh, I should really go before he sends out a search team." She said. She felt horrible for rushing out, but she wanted to stay out of as much trouble as possible (which was most likely inevitable) and she had to keep Naruto safe as well.

The boy nodded and pulled her down for a longing kiss. "I love you." He said.

Softly, Hinata replied. "I love you too."

Hinata picked up her clothes and began to dress. Naruto allowed her to dress, his back turned. He knew how shy the girl was. When she was finished she straightened her hair and gave Naruto one last kiss before disappearing out the door.

And even though he didn't regret the nights events one bit, all Naruto thought was, _'Oh shit.'_

_------------_

It didn't surprise Sakura that they weren't speaking too much, or even looking at each other too much the next day. The morning passed and they barely said five words to each other. Now, as the afternoon approached, they seemed to distant themselves from each other.

Sakura was scrubbing the kitchen, putting as much elbow grease she had into making the counters sparkle. She had scrubbed the sink twice, swept and mopped the floors twice, dusted off the small table, cleaned out the refrigerator, proved that the stove was still in good condition, washed the floor pillows, dusted off the small television that resided in there, cleaned the cabinets inside and out, cleaned out every corner in the room, and was now scrubbing the countertops for the third time.

She wiped the sweat from her brow and huffed a large sigh. It took a good long time, nearly four and a half hours, but it was done. The kitchen was _clean._

She left the room with plenty of dirty clothes and some dish towels to be washed. She was happy this morning when she was able to wash the bed set when she woke up, though Sasuke wasn't happy when the rinse cycle interrupted with his shower and he lost water pressure and hot water.

"Sakura!"

The yell came from upstairs. Sasuke was cleaning upstairs, tackling the bedrooms. Though he said he refused to enter Itachi's old room, so she would take care of that later.

She raced up the stairs and found Sasuke in his, now their room dusting the desk. "You rang?" she questioned. He simply pointed to the bedside table where her cell phone lay open. She scooped the phone up and walked out of the room. "Hello?"

"Sakura, we need you." Tsunade's voice said, sounding desperate.

Gaping Sakura walked down the stairs and spoke. "I thought I had the week off?" she questioned.

"You do alright, but we're short on staff and we could really use your help. It's like the patients got up and reproduced with each other. And I have to go to a _very_ important meeting. One that I'm not even willing to miss." She said.

Sakura knew that if Tsunade wasn't willing to miss a meeting, then it was important. But it was her week off and she had work to do. She would feel horrible if she left Sasuke to do it all himself.

"Are you sure you can't get anyone else?"

"Positive. We'll pay double." Tsunade offered.

Ah bait. And nice bait at that. "Alright." She agreed. It was just one day. Sasuke could handle one day, and she would be here to help the rest of the week.

"Thank you. Come in right away if you can." Tsunade said and hung up. Sakura shut the phone and sighed. She put everything in the washer and turned it on. After adding laundry detergent, she shut the lid and went off to tell Sasuke she was leaving.

When she entered, Sasuke had already dusted the desk and was now onto the TV stand. It was so funny seeing him do chores. He seemed to know what he was doing. Luckily, how else would he have survived living on his own if he couldn't take care of everything. And Sakura didn't see Sasuke living in a dirty house.

"I'm leaving." She got right to the point. Sasuke stopped and straightened up.

"Because…" he trailed off in a cold tone. The medic's eyes narrowed, not liking the coldness that had been radiating off of him all day.

"I got called in to work. I probably won't be back until later tonight. You'll be fine on your own right?" she asked. He nodded and turned back to his work. Sakura didn't understand why he was acting so cold to her. Even after last night, after he initiated everything, he was going to give her the cold shoulder. Man he could be a jerk.

She didn't even bother to try and coax a goodbye kiss out of him and she turned to leave.

"See you later." She said and exited.

When Sakura was out of earshot Sasuke couldn't help but utter, "Maybe."

Suddenly everything for him just became that much easier. He waited a good half hour. Then he went downstairs and walked outside, heading out so he could go to the village. Everything was made easy now that he wouldn't have to sneak around.

He was sure now. Tonight was the night.

All he had to do now was find a good jeweler.

**YES! All of you should be like…0.o "wait…what?"**

**This was a good chappie in my opinion. I hope you all liked it. The next chapter will be….absolutely awesome and twisty like a twist ice cream cone (yum), and sweet, and suspenseful, and tear jerking. **

**I hope. Lol. **

**How 'bout a preview?**

_Next time on Flow of Life… __(Queue dramatic soap opera music)_

"_Are you saying that you're approving?" Tsunade questioned eagerly. _

"_Though I have my doubts, he seems more suitable than I thought."_

"_Naruto…"_

_-------_

"_Neji, where are we going?" Tenten asked as Neji lead her down the road. _

_The boy smirked slightly. "I'm going to introduce you to my family."_

_-------_

"_Hinata, where were you?"_

_She couldn't lie anymore. He obviously wouldn't believe her and she felt horrible for lying to him. "Well, father…"_

_-------_

_Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held her stomach in pain. The cramping was horrible, and suddenly she felt frightened. _

"_Shika…where are you?"_

_She did all she could to reach out for the phone to call her best friend for help. _

_-------_

_She looked down, and immediately could feel the tears gather in her eyes. There before her was a ring. A sapphire diamond sat beautifully upon the silver band. Smaller white diamonds, two on each side of the sapphire, sat peacefully, sparkling up at her. _

_But what shocked her the most was the last detail. _

_What the ring was wrapped around. _

**I hope I can leave you wondering now. I'm going to try and update some of my other stories, since I feel that I've neglected them. **


	34. Engagement

**Please don't hate.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Naruto. **

**Please enjoy the twisty-ness.**

**First chapter of 2008!**

She couldn't help but be curious, suspicious, and slightly confused.

When she woke up the next morning, she was relieved to find that the storm had passed. The sun greeted her and she squinted her café colored eyes. The spot in the bed beside her was empty, and if she had no previous memory of last night, she wouldn't have been surprised.

At first, she was almost afraid that he had left her. But her ears pricked up and faintly she could hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. The shower was running.

That made her feel better.

Later when he emerged, looking not too happy to be in the clothes he wore last night, he told her to find something nice to wear. That was were she first grew curious. Then he told her that he was taking her somewhere. That was were she got suspicious. Then he told her not to be nervous.

That was were she got confused.

But the girl just shook her head and went off to take her own shower. Afterwards, she dressed nicely like he asked; a white blouse and her best blue jeans. Not beautiful, but nice and presentable.

"Do you want breakfast before we leave?" she asked. Neji nodded and followed her into the kitchen.

"I'll help." He offered kindly.

Simple rice made up their breakfast. It was lightly flavored. Tenten had come to learn that Neji preferred simple foods, instead of the fancy dishes that were sometimes served at Hyuuga family dinners. He was all about simplicity, from his hair, to his clothing, all the way to the way he packed.

Afterwards, they exited Tenten's apartment, and she locked the door behind her.

Though it was early morning, many people were already about outside, setting up their booths. Venders set out their items, from fruits and veggies, to bread, to freshly made breakfast dishes. There small shops with small trinkets and toys, stuffed animals and little goodies. There was also one, that Tenten remembered, that was run by a group of elderly ladies who sat in their area and made traditional clothing as people walked by, or stopped to watch.

"Neji, where are we going?" Tenten asked as Neji led her down the road.

The boy smirked slightly. "I'm going to introduce you to my family." He said. He couldn't see her face but he was sure that it didn't have a big grin.

Tenten inwardly groaned. She suddenly wished that she picked something else to wear. She looked presentable to other people, but not to the all mighty Hyuuga family. What would they think of her? Okay, deep breath. She could do this. It wouldn't be too bad, she just knew it. And if they didn't like her, Neji said he didn't care. So she wouldn't have to worry about them influencing him into anything.

Hopefully.

**--------------**

Ah, so she was late. It wasn't the first meeting she was late for, but this meeting was more important than any of the others. But still, she wasn't overly concerned. She _was_ the Hokage. She could arrive late if she just explained that she was working.

As Tsunade walked into the conference room, everyone was already sitting and waiting. But what made her suddenly think that this meeting was cursed was the fact that Kakashi, who she had specifically asked to join, was seated and waiting. That was just amazing.

She took a seat at the head of the table, opposite of the person she wanted to see. He looked serious under his ornamental red hat. His frown was brought out by his long mustache and beard and his dark eyes watched her intently. She frowned right back at him.

"I'm sure you know why I'm here." The lord said, never taking his eyes off of Tsunade. She matched his look and nodded. "Good. Then, I have to inform you that I'm still unsure of my decision."

Infuriated, Tsunade spoke up loudly. "Then why did you come?" she demanded. "If you don't know, then why are you here?"

A small smile adorned the old man's face and he slowly placed his hands on the table, lacing them together. "I was hoping that you would be able to guide me along with the decision. After all, you are Hokage. Your opinion matters just as much as mine." He said.

Tsunade was frustrated already. She had always thought that her opinion was above all others in this decision. It was true, she was Hokage. So she should have full right to pick the new one. "Well then, tell me your thoughts." She said smirking, leaning back in her chair.

The man nodded slightly and suddenly turned to Kakashi. "You introduced yourself as Hatake Kakashi." He said and received an affirmed nod from the jounin. "I've always heard great things about you over the years. And honestly, when Tsunade had announced that she was stepping down from her current position you were one of the persons I thought of to step up."

Kakashi remained silent. He had always heard talk from others; saying that he should take the position, or that he was at least going to be recognized for it. Genma had always bugged him about it. _"You know that you should apply for this. I know it hasn't really been your dream, but it'll do you a lot of good. Instead of reading those books all day, do something more important. Besides we'll be able to move into that wonderful mansion!"_

And honestly, Kakashi had never wanted the title of Hokage. Sure he wanted to protect the village, but more as an off-screen hero. He wouldn't be able to sit in an office and instruct everyone, assign missions, then read over mission reports. He wanted to be lounging in some tree reading. He wasn't someone who was easily confined and kept it one place.

So he would have to decline. Just like Jiraiya, he would have to pass on the wonderful opportunity for the mere fact that he had more 'important' things to do. Besides, Naruto would hold a grudge against him for the rest of eternity.

"I'm honored that I've been considered, though I must say that even if I was offered I would decline. It's not my kind of lifestyle." He answered collectively. His honesty showed in his one visible eye and the Lord understood what he meant.

"That's too bad. Such talent gone to waste. Though not entirely. You are here for the village after all, and you are a wonderful asset to mission success." The elder said and turned to Tsunade. "Which takes us to our current topic for succession. Uzumaki Naruto."

Tsunade's look turned stern. She leaned forward, placing her hands on the table. "Right." She said. "I'm still for this decision. There is no reason that he shouldn't be allowed to become the Rokudaime. He's perfectly capable, and absolutely willing."

"I understand that as a shinobi he is perfectly capable. I trust that he can go the distance for the village. I know that he will give his life for this place. I don't doubt that." Suddenly his face turned all too serious. "But there are dangers that come with this."

"Can anyone get over the fact that he has the kyuubi sealed in him? I understand that that presents dangers, but there are people around to help." Tsunade argued, flustered at the man's blindness in this topic. "I'm here, Kakashi is here, Jiraiya, Yamato. There are plenty of us here to help him, to guide him, and to protect him if he needs it."

A silence enveloped the room. Tsunade's eyes never left the Lords and she suddenly wished that Jiraiya was here. He always just seemed to make things easier. He helped give her the strength to speak just a tad stronger. He was her comfort zone when she needed it. Despite being an independent woman, she couldn't help but feel relieved that she had a shoulder to lean on. And now, that shoulder wasn't here and she hadn't spoken to him for nearly a month.

"Alright. It is more reassuring knowing that he will have guidance. There are people around who are here to help him along. I know that you all will take care of him, and show him the ropes. I also feel confident that he is capable of taking care of Konohagakure and not letting it crumble. Kakashi, you were his teacher?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Then you know the boy fairly well. Do you believe that he will fair in running this village. Your home?" The Lord asked questionably, leaning back in his chair.

Kakashi didn't answer right away, musing over the question. "I have no doubt." He answered. "Despite Naruto being a headstrong person, he takes others into consideration and does what is best for everyone, not just himself. He's quick to act, even if he doesn't fully think things over. But, that's what we're here for, to help him along just as you said. So I'm sure he will make a fine Rokudaime." Kakashi smiled behind his mask.

The Feudal Lord took a deep breath, thinking everything over. The boy did seem perfectly suitable, but he still has another topic he wanted to discuss.

"There is one other concern that I have." He spoke gravely. His eyes turned a shade darker. "Akatsuki." He said simply.

Tsunade had always known that this would be a concern. That damned organization was still on the prowl growing stronger by the minute. And with the number of demons the groups was collecting, they would surely begin to grow invincible. The key item they needed now was Naruto and that posed a threat on the village.

"I understand." Tsunade said in a hushed tone. "But I don't think that they should strongly influence this decision. We have our sources on the Akatsuki, and if they planned to attack, we would know before hand and be prepared. We can't look at them as a downfall, or they will be our downfall."

The Lord jerked his head in a nodding motion, a tiny smile playing on his lips. "Exactly." He said looking up. "My only concern was with Naruto being kept in the village, it would prove that the organization would have to advance our way in order to capture what they want. The timing in which they move could vary drastically, but if your sources are as good as you say they are, I'm sure you will be prepared. We'll discuss this matter down the road soon, but for now we shall put it behind us. As you said, we can't think of them as our downfall."

Tsunade's amber eyes bore right through the man and she fought with herself to keep the smile away. Did that mean what she thought it meant? "Are you saying that you're approving?" Tsunade questioned eagerly.

"Though I have my doubts, he seems more suitable than I thought. I'm sure he'll be a good aspect to this village. He has help, he has skill, and he has the willpower. That's more than enough to fuel him along. And this decision is as much of yours as it is mine. So I will put in my approval and allow you to handle the rest." He said smiling. Tsunade could feel her heart jump for joy. Beside her, Kakashi grinned, already picturing the goofy grin on the boy's face and the wild reaction he would have.

Tsunade let out a long, shaking breath and she felt elated and joyous. "Naruto." She sighed.

**-----------**

Iruka was grateful beyond words when Ino had asked if she could help out in the academy. Since she was banned from missions, there wasn't much for her to do, and she felt useless. She didn't want to depend on Shikamaru for money. She had to get some of her own, and teaching seemed to be a good way.

And she was lucky she liked little kids or else this would be hell.

And for the day, she was stuck with the group of kids who wanted to expand in the art of medical ninjutsu. Tsunade had worked hard to set this class up, that way any students who wanted to learn about the medical field could get a head start. It was a huge help on missions when there where genin who were able to use medical jutsu.

The only part was that she wasn't a medical expert. She had studied some and could use the basic medical jutsu, but was no expert. Not like Sakura. The only downside was something she never expected, medical students asked a lot of questions.

And today, the group was taking a trip to the Konoha hospital. Oh goodie.

"All right, before we leave I need everyone to hand in their homework." Ino said in an authoritative voice. The students all looked at her questionably.

One boy with bright orange hair, one of the only boys in the class, raised his hand and talked quickly. "Where's sensei?" he asked in a snobbish tone. Ino had anticipated this question and she had an answer.

"You're sensei is helping with preparations for the chuunin exams." She explained. She watched as papers were being passed up and she walked forward to collect them. A small girl now raised her hand.

"The chuunin exams are starting? Will we be able to participate?" she questioned eagerly.

Ino finished collecting the papers and she spoke once more. "That is for your sensei's to decide. If they believe that you are ready, then they will acknowledge you." She answered. After placing the papers on the teacher's desk, she spoke once more. "Now, I'm sure you'll all behave while we're in the hospital right? No funny business." She warned and motioned for them to stand up. "Let's head out, no running!"

**----------**

"Ino, put that back. And that too, here I got you a salad instead."

With a grumpy look, the girl set her bag of chips back on the snack rack and took the salad from Sakura's hands. It wasn't what she wanted, but she knew that she had to really eat healthy, and potato chips weren't going to help her. Along with her salad Ino requested a bowl of cheesy rice.

The pair walked over to the lunch table where the students were eating their lunches. They sat on the end so Ino could keep a watchful eye on the group, though she was more concerned with eating then watching the kids. She hurriedly picked up her chopsticks and hungrily consumed her rice.

Sakura watched in amusement. "Hungry?" she asked teasingly and received a glare from over the top of the bowl. Her smile grew wider.

"You know," Ino said, setting the bowl down and patting the sides of her mouth. "I'm just glad that they assigned you to be the one who gives the tour. I feel a lot better knowing it's you and not some half-wit nurse or something." Ino said gratefully. She picked up her small plastic fork and doused her salad in dressing before digging in.

Sakura delicately chewed, and then swallowed. "Yeah. When Tsunade-shishou called me in, I didn't think that this was what she had in mind. It is kind of ironic that so many nurses choose today to use their vacation days." She said, knowing that they had all done it on purpose. No one had wanted to give the tour, and Sakura was called in.

"Well when I volunteered to teach, I didn't think this was what Iruka-sensei would assign. I'm not saying that I'm not grateful, but it makes me wonder if he couldn't find anyone else who was more…medically educated." Ino said, her mouth full of leafy greens. She swallowed and continued on. "I mean, I don't know much besides what I learned from you. And I can only use the basic medical ninjutsu."

"You can use a medical ninjutsu Ino-sensei?" Not surprising, the surprised yell came from the same boy who asked the first question back in the classroom. "Awesome! Show us!" he asked excitedly. Ino was taken by surprise and nearly dropped her next forkful of salad.

"Oh, well…"

"Idiot, that's not very nice." A girl with long lavender hair sneered at the boy. "She's pregnant and trying to do an advanced jutsu like that isn't easy when a woman is with child. Besides, you're being rude." She informed the boy.

'_Well she's observant.'_ Ino thought. She hadn't told any of them she was pregnant, and she had thought her stomach was covered well enough with the larger shirt she was wearing. It must have been the large size that gave everything away. She knew her stomach was getting bigger, but she hadn't thought that it was _that_ big.

"You're pregnant?" the boy questioned incredulously. Ino nodded and the rest stared at the boy. "I thought you were just fat." He said, speaking his mind. They always said that kids were painfully honest, and they weren't kidding.

"You little brat!" Ino hollered and gripped her fork threateningly.

Across from her, Sakura looked at the kid, her eyebrows raised as she whispered to herself. "And he wants to be a medic?"

**-------------**

It was inevitable to escape her father. He was right there, waiting for her. She knew it. So she walked right over to him, there was no use trying to sneak by. Her head wasn't held as high as it could be, she was trying to go for a more innocent approach. Though she didn't feel innocent in any way.

"I'll wait until you talk." Hiashi said, leading the girl into the empty sitting room. They both took a seat. Hinata avoided his eyes and Hiashi stared right at his daughter, waiting for her to talk.

Hinata was desperately thinking in her mind, not knowing whether she should lie or not. She hated lying, it was one thing she never did if preventable. If lying would prevent her from hurting someone, she would do it. But now, it was one way to stay out of trouble, but that was dishonorable. Not something she would normally do. But there was the fact that she was also trying to protect Naruto. And that seemed to be the sole reason for her to lie right now.

"Well, honestly, I was at a friends last night." She said amazingly without stuttering. Her father was an intimidating man, even to Hinata. So the fact that she was able to speak to him without a hitch was proof that her confidence levels were higher than ever.

"A friend?" Hiashi mused, his arms crossing over his chest. The girl nodded. She knew that wasn't good enough to convince her father.

"Hai. Ano, I stayed with Tenten." She said, using the most convincing friend. She and Tenten had often stayed at each others houses and what she said was believable. "I'm sorry I didn't call." She apologized.

"Really now." Hiashi said, his stern face never changing. The possibility for her staying at her friend's house was there, but the fact that he knew Neji was with her lowered them some.

As if on cue, the door opened from the front entrance room and Neji and Tenten walked in. They weren't seen by the father-daughter duo until they entered the room. Hinata gulped, knowing Hiashi had seen right through her lie. But one other thing Hinata had noticed was the fact that Neji and Tenten walked in together. The fact that Tenten was here actually. Did that mean that Neji was able to get through to her? She hadn't seen him since she had urged him to go talk to the girl, and now she was curious. But before that, she had other things to handle.

"Ah, Neji. I had expected to see you back last night. How was dinner?"

Neji looked at his uncle with a more brightened look than Hiashi had ever seen. It was obvious things had gone well.

"We decided to have dinner at Tenten's last night and we seemed to have lost tract of time. Then the whole situation with the storm from last night prevented me from returning home." He explained. Tenten slowly emerged from behind Neji, waving shyly to Hiashi.

"Ohayo-gozaimasu Hyuuga-san." She greeted politely. Hiashi smiled back at the girl, nodding his head in reply.

"I hear that Hinata stayed with you as well." He said, trying to coax the truth out of someone. He didn't fully believe Hinata, and now he would be able to find out something.

Hinata threw the pair a pleading, desperate look. One that read, _'help me!'_ She didn't want to drag them into the situation, and she hadn't realized that her choice of friends that she stayed with was bad. She hadn't known that Neji would stay at Tenten's house. Oh, she had just buried her own grave right now.

Her thumbs twitched to twiddle nervously, but she resisted, knowing that that would show that she was nervously hiding something. Instead, her eyes gazed to Tenten and the latter looked at her, asking how she should answer. When Tenten saw the imploring look, she knew exactly how to answer.

"She did." Tenten said. "She came in, long after dark. She was training so hard and it was late; my house is closer to training grounds. And at the time it was beginning to rain, so I couldn't turn her away obviously." She smiled and poured everything she had in her into giving Hiashi one of the most honest looks ever.

"Sou ka. But you didn't all come in together." Hiashi inquired, looking at each of them. Neji had already caught on to what they were doing and decided to along though lying wasn't one of his favorable traits. He would just keep his mouth shut, that way he wasn't technically lying.

"Well you see Otou-san," Hinata started. "I felt bad for intruding on their own private time last night. So I decided to come home earlier so that they could spend the morning together." Oh dear, the lying had to stop somewhere.

For a moment, she didn't think that they would get away with it. Any of it. But the moment her father closed his eyes and muttered, "Alright." she couldn't believe her luck. Was she really getting off that easily? It was amazing. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to find your cousin. I've been wanting to talk to him." Hiashi spoke as he stood up from his chair.

Neji stopped him before he could exit. "Uncle, if it's not too much trouble do you think that we could have a family dinner tonight." Neji requested. Hiashi stopped, shocked by the words. It wasn't like Neji to call for the family to eat together.

"If that is what you want. Why do you request such a thing? I know that you are not particularly fond of family gatherings." Hiashi said, looking upon the man curiously.

Neji understood where he was coming from. He was always one of the first to leave for his room when the family gathered together, never being one to partake in much of any conversations they had. "I would like to introduce Tenten to everyone." He said with a ghost of a smile.

"I see. Well, I can arrange it and I will talk to the others about coming. I see that you two are quite close aren't you?" he sounded amused, but it was not written on his face. He looked more spirited than anything.

Neji nodded. "Yes." He declared proudly. "In fact," he continued on. Tenten looked at him, wondering just what he was about to say. "we are engaged."

As if the words had no affect on him, Hiashi simply smiled. "Hasty aren't you? But I guess you can not beat someone you have worked together with for so many years. You have surprised me Neji. I wasn't sure you would be able to find someone, knowing how you are. But I am happy for you, for both of you." He said sincerely and walked out of the room.

Once he was gone, Hinata stood up from her seat, smiling broadly. "I don't know whether to thank you or to congratulate you first." She said in her soft tone of voice. Her words sounded grateful, and she had every right to be.

"Your pick." Tenten said smiling, glad that she was able to help. "But why were you lying to your dad?"

Hinata suddenly blushed furiously and looked away. "Well…ah…" she found it hard to form her words, more embarrassed than anything. "It's just that…he would have been furious if I told him the truth…and…"

"Alright, you can explain on the way. I'm sure both of you want to change?" Tenten said, observing their attire. Both were still wearing the same clothes from the day before, and Neji had said he wanted to change before they did anything.

Taking Hinata by the arm, Tenten began to lead the flustered girl down the hallway. "So, where were you last night, really? I saved your butt, I deserve to know!" she exclaimed.

Hinata still couldn't fight down her blush but answered. "I…was at Naruto-kun's." she said very softly. A squeal was let out by Tenten and the girl abruptly stopped, turning to her friend.

"You're kidding? Are you serious!?" Hinata nodded shyly. "Oh gosh! Wow, you, spending the night at his house? Did anything happened?" The brunette asked slyly.

There was no answer and the girl turned from tingy red to bright tomato red.

"You did!" Tenten nearly screeched, but remembered to keep her voice down. "Oh you have to tell me!"

Neji soon followed behind them, eyes narrowing. "I'll kill the kid." He muttered darkly.

**--------------**

She had two things left to do that afternoon. Right after all of the classes let out, Ino stayed behind to get everything ready for the next day. It was nearly three thirty by the time she left.

First thing to mark off the list was shopping. They didn't need much; it was more of a factor of what Ino wanted. Various treats to keep her satisfied. Then she needed her vitamins and lastly some heartburn medicine. Because heartburn was a raging battle for pregnant woman.

After she had gone home and put everything away, the girl changed and was once again out the door. Today was a busy day for her, busier than it had been in a while. Now she was on her way to meet Kurenai, who had agreed to help her with some simple training. The best way to train when pregnant was to train with someone who was pregnant.

So now she was knocking on the door of her team leader's home, waiting for someone to answer. She could hear faint laughter in the background. The door opened and Asuma answered, smiling at the girl. "Ino, how are you?" he asked stepping back to allow her to enter.

"I've been fine. Was that Katsurou I heard before?" she asked and peeked around the small cozy home. Kurenai suddenly came walking into the room, her son in her arms clinging to her with his head resting on her shoulder. The boy was, in Ino's opinion, too cute for words. With a head of thick dark hair, freckles dotting his face, and his mother's bright red eyes, she was sure he would grow into one handsome boy.

"Oh, hello Ino." Kurenai greeted, smiling. "I'm all set and ready when you are." She moved to her husband and handed off the little boy.

Katsurou allowed himself to be taken by his father. He yawned tiredly and gazed at his father. "Otou-san?" he questioned, then turned his attention to his mother.

"Mommy's just going out for a little bit." Asuma said in a soft tone to the boy. "But I think it's nap time for you little man." Grinning, Asuma placed a loving kiss on his wife's cheek before walking off, twirling the boy in the air.

Kurenai and Ino left, now leaving for the training grounds. "He really is cute." Ino said dreamily. "It actually makes me not want to wait till this little one comes out." The blonde looked down at her stomach, placing a hand over it.

"Well, it is not easy at first." Kurenai said. "The first problem I had when I came home was trying to get him to stop crying. It was murder and heartbreaking. I felt so useless because nothing I did made him stop. That is, until he was hungry. That shut him right up." She said with a chuckle. Ino joined in with her laughed, her eyes scrunching up merrily.

"How far are you?" Kurenai questioned.

"Four months." Ino responded. They entered the large sea of trees and Kurenai lead them to training ground eight.

"Well, the next months are going to be worse than they have. Just a little warning. I don't mean to scare you. But the good thing is, you'll be able to find out the gender soon. Usually it's five months, but sometime they're able to tell beforehand."

Ino smiled at the thought. She was more than excited to find out if it was going to be a boy or girl. She didn't mind either way, but she knew that Shikamaru always wanted to have a girl first.

"Now, let's get started."

**-----------**

"Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes. Everyone is gathering in the family room." Neji announced, entering Hinata's room. The trio had spent the day together; Hinata and Neji showing Tenten around the rest of the Hyuuga village. She was amazed at how big it was, how many people there were in the Hyuuga family. And the other two just seemed to know everyone! It blew her mind away. But the good thing was that everyone was friendly, stopping to have small talk, or simply waving hello. She didn't feel out of place around here. Which was a strange feeling.

"Seriously?" Even if she didn't feel out of place, Tenten couldn't help the flutters in her stomach. The thought that meeting everyone was coming up so soon was truly nerve wrecking. "I can't believe you're doing this to me." she said, glaring lightly in his direction.

Neji shrugged his shoulders and took a seat beside her on the bed. "It's best to get the hard part over with right away right?"

Hinata spun around in her chair from her vanity table and smiled at her friend. "You'll be fine Tenten. They're not frightening people." she assured the girl. "And this is only closer family. Just our closer cousins and all. There won't be too many people."

Tenten nodded and held her stomach. She had this feeling that if she didn't, everything inside of her would fall out. She gently leaned against Neji. "I look fine right? I shouldn't…dress up anymore?" she asked. She looked at Hinata who was in a lavender short sleeve V neck button up shirt, a white laced spaghetti strap under that. She also adorned a nice flowing black skirt that danced just above her knee.

Hinata had turned around and was brushing her hair. "Of course not."

"Tenten, you look perfect." Neji encouraged. He wouldn't want her to dress up anymore than how she was. Then she wouldn't be Tenten. The girl he knew wasn't into high fashion clothes. She kept it nice and simple, just like him.

All nice and groomed, Hinata spun around once more and stood up. "If you don't mind my asking; Neji were you planning on announcing your engagement tonight?" she asked.

Neji answered quickly, "I was going to," he started and saw the look on Tenten's face. "but I think it might be best to save for another time. Matters like these can always wait, so I will announce it later." He said.

Hinata understood and walked towards her door. "I'm going to start down there. Don't take too long, Father won't be happy." She said and left the room.

Tenten stood up off of the bed. "We shouldn't keep them waiting either huh?" she asked.

Neji stood up and stood beside her. "I guess not." He said. He turned to Tenten. "Don't be nervous, and just be yourself." He reminded her. She really brought out his caring side. Before he was with her, he was never this way. He was constantly cold, as if he was stuck in a freezer.

Tenten nodded, her lips pulled into a tight smile. Neji instantly surprised her by leaning down and giving her a small, light kiss of reassurance. She was frozen to her spot, never expecting a move like that from him of all people.

"Let's go." He said and led her out of the room.

**------------**

"So you and Neji have known each other for how long?"

"Well it's been…oh nearly eight years. Since we were genin."

"My that's a long time."

"Yes yes! Now dear, tell us a little about yourself. We'd love to learn more about you."

She swallowed her mouthful of food. "Well, I am part of Team Gai. My specialty is weapons…"

"Weapons you say? How do you manage that?"

"Oh, it's nothing too hard. Since day one of shruiken practice back at the academy I've always been able to hit all of my targets. I've developed my own style of jutsu using weapons."

"That is strange. Do you know any elemental jutsu? Or any genjutsu, anything of that sort?"

"Ah, actually I don't. It's always been weapons for me. I have a fairly large collection."

"What company brand do you use?"

"I've always used 'Ninkana' brand."

There was slight muttering between some of the others.

"I see. Well our family has always done business with the Yushi family. They are a big, and the best, producers of ninja weaponry."

"…Oh. Well, I've never really had the money for anything too expensive…"

"Never had the money? Well didn't you ever ask your parents?"

"Ah…"

"Go on dear."

"I…don't have parents."

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Are you adopted?"

"No, they died when I was very young."

"Oh, poor dear. Just how old were you?"

"Didn't you have other relatives to take you in?"

"How hard was it dealing with the loss?"

"Were they ninja?"

"Were you living on your own the whole time?

"How did you manage with money?"

"It must have been hard taking care of yourself."

"That is enough."

Silence…

"Neji-sama, Tenten-san, please excuse their behavior. They don't mean to be offensive, they are just curious."

Neji knew there was a fine line between curious and nosy, and they seemed to have been trying to sneak over it. He observed his relatives from near the head of the table. They started talking amongst themselves after he had silenced them. Tenten stared at her plate intently, her head lowered considerably.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

She looked up with a smile that looked like it was forced. "It's alright. Really." She said. She had never expected questions about her family and the way they were spoken made her feel like she was under attack. It was just a little uncomfortable.

Neji wasn't sure how the clan looked at Tenten. It was too early to tell at the moment. But no matter what they thought, they had no chance in swaying his decision. He was marrying Tenten, end of discussion.

Besides, you couldn't force someone to fall out of love. Not even yourself.

**---------------**

After taking a long, relaxing hot bath Ino was in her night clothes and ready for bed. She was in bed by seven thirty and asleep by seven forty-five. She was exhausted from the days work. And after working out so hard, she had a quick snack bar for her dinner, not having the energy or appetite to make anything huge.

It was almost nine when she was awoken by a horrible cramping feeling in her lower stomach. She had tossed and turned, but couldn't make the feeling go away.

Steadily the cramping got worse and she hissed in pain. The only problem was, these weren't any normal cramps. At least they didn't feel that way. Frustrated, she threw the bed covers up and started to walk around her home, hoping to walk them off.

She walked from her room to the bathroom, then to the living room and into the kitchen. Nothing was helping. She trudged back into the living room, taking a seat in the armchair. Her face twisted in pain, now finding it nearly unbearable.

And then she felt it. The muscle spasm that she had learned about. She had her first contraction. And it hurt like you wouldn't believe.

But that wasn't right. Ino knew enough about pregnancies to know that contractions didn't happen until later during pregnancies. Usually later into the second trimester into the third. Then of course during labor. Was it possible that she could have them now?

She ignored the thought as her stomach felt as though it was tightening. Alright, now she knew this wasn't right. The pain grew worse, enough to bring tears to her eyes and she bit her lip.

Ino stood once more and walked back to her bedroom. She laid back on her bed and whimpered, unable to keep silent. She held her stomach and cringed, wishing that the cramps would stop.

She knew she needed help. Now.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held her stomach in pain. The cramping was horrible and suddenly she felt frightened.

"Shika…where are you?"

She did all she could to reach for the phone on her nightstand to call her best friend for help. Sakura could help. She was the doctor afterall.

The phone rung. Once…twice...three times and no one answered. After the fourth ring, Ino hit the 'off' button. Maybe she was too busy.

So what was she to do? She needed someone's help. Who was there.

The it came to her.

Hissing once more as she felt the tightening sensation, Ino hurriedly dialed the one number she knew by heart.

After two rings there was an answer. "Hello?"

"Mommy. I need your help."

"Ino, baby what is it, what's wrong?" Tsumi asked in a panic struck tone.

"Mama something's wrong." Ino sobbed, wiping the tears from her face. "I have really bad cramps, and my stomach feels all tight, and I swear I had a contraction not too long ago."

There was a paused on the other line and Ino grew worried. "Mama?"

"Ino, stay calm. You'll be fine." Tsumi assured her daughter.

"What's wrong with me?" Ino asked.

"Honey it's possible that you could be having premature contractions. Have you only had just that one?"

"Y-yes."

"Alright. How much have you had to drink today?" Tsumi asked in a surprisingly calm tone.

Ino cringed again. "Not much." She answered. She just wanted the pain to stop. It was downright horrible. Off in the distance, Ino could hear the front door open and close. _'Shika!'_ She thought.

"Being dehydrated can cause this Ino. Did you work hard today? That with little to drink is not safe." Tsumi said.

"I know mom, how do I make it stop?" Ino nearly screamed into the phone. She sobbed once more.

"Ino?" A tired and slightly wet looking Shikamaru appeared in the doorway. He looked at the girl and felt his heart sink. She looked like she was in terrible pain and her crying was an indication to that. "Ino! Ino, what's wrong?"

"Sweetie, first off you need to drink. A glass of water is best." Tsumi instructed.

Shikamaru was at the side of the bed, pushing the hair out of Ino's face and asking her what was wrong. "Water." The girl said in a hushed tone. Without second thoughts he jumped up and went to fulfill her request. As fast as he could he returned with one of the water bottles that was in the refrigerator. 

Ino took the bottle and began to drink it, going slowly, but consistently until the bottle was half empty. "What else?" Ino asked.

"You got a drink?"

"Yes. Shika just came in. H-he's here with me." Ino cried softly, her face now red.

"Good. All you have to do now is lay on your left side."

"Left?"

"Yes, your left." Tsumi said.

Ino did as instructed and turned over onto her left side, just lying there. "Mama, it hurts." She complained.

"I know darling. You should be okay. Just stay how you are and drink a little more. Don't drink too much though. Ino baby, I'm coming over right now. Stay how you are."

"You don't have…"

"I know I don't but I want to. I'll be over there soon." Tsumi said. "I love you."

"I love you too mama." Ino said. The phone when dead and she pressed the 'off' button. Shikamaru hovered above her.

Though the pain wasn't gone, Ino had stopped crying. Some of the tears had come form fear, but that feeling was fading away. She held her tummy, wishing it would stop hurting.

"Ino, what happened?" Shikamaru asked.

Just the tone of his voice made her want to cry again for unknown reasons. She could see him, and didn't want to move. "Premature contractions." She said. "From dehydration we think."

"Just how hard were you working today? You shouldn't overwork yourself. And I thought you would have taken better care of yourself Ino. You know you need more to eat, to drink now. Especially if your going to do training." For once Shikamaru was scolding her. And Ino wasn't upset, she knew he was doing it because he cared.

This time she did start crying again.

"I know, I'm sorry." She said. She could feel the pain decrease slightly, but not enough for her wanting. Now she was more tired than before, and if it wasn't for the pain or the tight feeling in her stomach she would most likely be dosing off by now.

Shikamaru leaned down and placed a kiss on the girl's cheek. "Are you ok?" he asked. He now had no desire to leave her side.

Nodding Ino answered with a small, "Kinda."

Then there was knocking at the front door. "Ino? Ino! Shikamaru unlock this door and let me see my daughter now!"

**--------------**

It was dark. It was a cool night. It was later than she expected to be running home. It was nearly ten. And to top it off it was raining.

They were not the conditions in which Sakura wanted to run home in, but she had no choice. So she moved as fast as her legs would carry her.

When she reached the Uchiha villa she made a mad dash towards the main house. The rain had started lightly, but was now in a steady downpour.

Sakura opened the front door to her new home and walked in, the room dark. It was eerily quiet, and if she was walking into someone else's house she would be a little freaked. But since it was just her and Sasuke, it didn't bother her. What was strange was the fact that, when she was coming up the street no lights were on. Sasuke was the kind of person that went to bed late. Even ten o'clock was a bit too early for him to sleep.

It was possible that he was in a room that she could see. Like the dojo, or the den or something.

Popping her head into the kitchen, Sakura found it clean and empty, just as she had left it this morning. Next she looked in the living room to find it littered with the boxes left to be unpacked, lights turned off and no one there. She checked the whole of the downstairs, a task that took a bit in the large house and found it empty.

'_Where could he be?'_ she wondered. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, but she had to surpass the feeling. He was probably in bed. He had been working all day right?

Sakura proceeded to the stairs and slowly walked up the creaky steps. The upstairs seemed just as empty as the downstairs, and it was equally dark. She walked to her room, for some reason feeling her heart beat quicken. Something just seemed different.

The bedroom door was closed and Sakura grasped the doorknob, not knowing why she paused before she opened it. There was nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing. She couldn't believe something was wrong, that would help.

And when she opened the door and stood in the doorway, she knew right away there was indeed something wrong. Whether it was by the unusual cold draft in the room, the darker then dark appearance, the open balcony door that allowed the rain to be washed in, or the fact that everything was almost as it was this morning, it was all too obvious that something was wrong.

Time froze around her. It seemed as though the wind had stopped blowing, and the rain had stopped bounding on the roof. She didn't hear a thing, nothing but her frantic heartbeat in her own ear.

Even when Sasuke did go out, he closed the door behind him and if he knew it was going to rain, he would have definitely closed it. So…what happened?

Her eyes roamed the room and she couldn't fight down the panic now. It consumed her, swallowed her whole. There was no one in the bed. He wasn't here. He wasn't in this house. And the problem was that she didn't know if he left on one of his little 'adventures' or…

She didn't want to think of it. She noticed the corner of the room was empty. The corner where he had put his chokuto. Unless he was training, why would he need it?

The other thing that caught her eye, her senses seemed to be heightened, was that the closet door was open, just a smidget. She was absolutely positive that it was closed when she was left. And there wasn't anything that Sasuke would have needed. They already packed their clothes away, so why…

She didn't think when she rushed over to the closet. She had this feeling. This feeling that was drawing her over there, telling her to open that door. And when she did, it took a keen eye to notice what was missing.

Sasuke's traveling pack.

It had sat right next to hers, and now her bag sat alone. Her breathing hitched and she ran over to the dresser, pulling the drawers open with brute force. They opened and she just didn't understand. She didn't understand why some of his shirts were missing. She didn't understand why he had pants missing. She just didn't understand.

She was scared now. He couldn't have. There was no way.

Slowly, she backed away from the bureau, her hand going over her mouth. She suddenly felt hollow, like nothing within her existed. Like the small flame that burned peacefully within her, her life support, had just burned out. It was unbearable.

She could help but walk back to the bed, wanting to crawl into it and sleep. Sleep forever and never wake up. Hoping the world would just move on without her, forget about her and let her sleep for the rest of eternity.

That was when she first saw it. She could only see the silver band sticking out in the darkness. She didn't even know if she wanted to pick it up.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered herself and reached out for the shining object that was resting on her pillow. That wasn't there before she left either.

She looked down, and immediately could feel the tears gather in her eyes. There before her was a ring. A sapphire diamond sat beautifully upon the silver band. Smaller white diamonds, two on each side of the sapphire, sat peacefully, sparkling up at her.

But what shocked her the most was the last detail.

What the ring was wrapped around.

The object was soft between her fingers. She choked back the tears and gazed at it. She brought it closer to her face, the lack of light not helping her in anyway. She could see the purple color, feel the velvety texture and smell the earthy aroma. She noticed the shape, and knew enough from Ino to know that this was a flower and what kind it was.

A forget me not.

The tears came harder. He heart was splitting into two, tearing apart slowly, each seam she had sowed in before now coming undone.

What did this possibly mean? He left her an engagement ring and a flower, telling her not to forget him. So he was coming back? He was telling her something.

Telling her to wait for him.

That was the final blow and she let it all go. There was no point in holding the tears back. He was gone. She didn't know why. What was there out there for him? And what was she to do now?

She knew for sure that she didn't want to stay here. She couldn't stay here, there was just no way. She didn't belong in this house. It now all felt strange to her. She was in a strange place, a place she had never know, she was about to live with someone she didn't even know.

She was irrevocably in love with a stranger.

She picked up her wilting heart up, the ring and flower both in her hands, sobbed uncontrollably and ran from the room.

_Why does my heart go on beating_

_Why do these eyes of mine cry?_

_Don't they know it's the end of the world_

_It ended when you said goodbye._

She ran. Her tears blinded her but she didn't care. She clenched the objects in her hands tightly, not wanting to let go. They were all she had left of him. She was falling apart as she ran. Her insides were dying, her soul was fading into nothingness.

It had to be instinct. There was no other way to explain why she ended up there of all places. The exact same place she ended up years ago after her parent's death. She ran, her legs burning, but she didn't care. That pain wasn't anything compared to what she was really feeling.

She knocked the on the familiar door loudly. Everyone seemed to be asleep, and the door was locked. The rain poured down on her, washing everything inside of her away and leaving her an empty vessel. She continued to knock and it took a few moments before the door was opened.

And there stood one Shiranui Genma, bare top, pajama clad and tired looking. But that all changed when he saw the girl, saw her tears and the pain written all over her face. He was hugged forcefully, being taken by surprise. Sakura clung to him.

He led her inside and out of the rain. He sat her on the couch, and the girl never let go. She never stopped crying either. "Sakura, what is it?" he asked in a soft whisper. She wasn't able to make out words. She couldn't say anything, explain anything to him. She simply hugged him tighter, as if asking him to fill the void that had just been created.

Strong protective arms wrapped around the girl, letting her know that she was being shielded from the world around her. But she couldn't fend off the astonishingly cold feeling. The empty void, the breaking of her heart. She was torn before he left and now she was beyond broken.

"Kakashi." She whispered quietly.

Genma heard her word. "He's in his room. Just wake him up if he's asleep." He said. The man wiped the tears from her cheeks and placed a kiss on her forehead. It had been such a long time since he had seen her looking this way. The blankness of her eyes was eerie and wrong.

Sakura walked right into Kakashi's room, closing the door behind her. She was still dripping wet as she advanced towards his bed. Sniffling, she wiped more tears away, wishing she was able to make them stop. She reached the bed where the Kakashi sized lump lay. Her desire was to climb right into that bed and sleep next to the one person she trusted more than anyone, but due to her wet attire, she knew that wouldn't be nice to the man who took care of her for so long.

Sensing her presence, Kakashi had already begun to stir. He blinked and opened his one dark eye, sleepily gazing at the her figure. The person was too short and feminine to be Genma.

"Sakura?"

A sob escaped her. "Y-you remember." She spoke in a broken voice. "Y-you told me to…to come to you i-if some…thing bad happened." She choked out. Kakashi started to sit up upon hearing her voice. "S-something happened." She rushed the last part, and nearly broke down again. The anguish she felt was too unbearable.

Kakashi could already guess what happened. But what he was concerned with now was taking care of the girl. Making sure to calm her down and keep her stable. "Sakura you're wet. Let me get you something dry to wear then we'll set everything straight." He spoke and pulled the bed covers off of himself. He stood and moved to his dresser when he pulled out some of his own clothes, flannel pants and a shirt that was way to big for the girl.

Sakura didn't feel like moving. She felt stiff and chilled. But she forced herself to move. Forced herself to go to the bathroom to change into the shirt that was too big and the pants that would fall off had there not been a string that she used to tie. The pant legs still came down and covered her feet, dragging on the floor but she didn't care. They smelled like Kakashi and it comforted her. He was her father figure. That was why she had come here. Her body instinctively thought of Kakashi now when she needed someone to watch her back. To be there and be the father she lost.

She couldn't even manage to look at herself in the mirror and she left the room quickly. Kakashi was going through he closet when she came back in. "I-I put my clothes in the hamper." She said quietly.

Turning around, the man nodded. "You'll take my bed. I'll sleep on the couch." He informed her and continued his search for a blanket.

"No." Sakura said.

"Hm?"

"Stay here with me? Please?" She pleaded.

Unsure, Kakashi replied. "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable Sakura. If you want to be by yourself, then say so."

"No. Please, just stay here. Make it stop. It hurts Kakashi. I need you here to help me. Stop the pain." She trialed off into a whisper and her eyes reached out for him, making their own plea with him.

Sighing softly, Kakashi shut the closet door. He walked over to his bed and climbed in the other side under the covers. Sakura reached out for him, in need for contact. Needing to know that there were people who wouldn't abandon her.

"It hurts." She cried. "So very much. To have everything taken from you. To have your heart stepped on, only so you can fix it. Then you give it away to someone you love more than life itself and then watch them rip it into pieces. Breaking the parts that you fixed and doing more damage than before. I just wish…I wish I didn't love him so damn much."

In her clenched fist was the ring, pressing into her fingers. She reached out and placed the flower on the nightstand, saving it from further harm. But the ring, she placed on her right pink finger. It was what he had given her. It was his own promise that he would come back.

It was him requesting that she wait as he fulfilled whatever self mission he was trying to accomplish.

But now, she wasn't sure if she should wait for him. She didn't know if she should give him another chance.

Sometimes love isn't worth a damn thing.

**Hides behind an industrial built steel wall. "DON'T KILL ME!"**

**I love you all. You can hate me if you want. Now is where it gets mighty interesting. I'm still keeping my, Sasuke and Sakura are going to be happily together, promise so stick with me! Go along with it. Let it **_**flow. **_**This is life. We must deal.**

**And the italicized words at the end were lyrics from a song called, 'The end of the world' by Skeeter Davis. **

**So, I will leave you all saying have a good day, afternoon, evening, or night, depending on when you are reading this. **

**Ja ne!**


	35. Title

**Thank you all so much for the reviews. Um…I'll fix this?**

**Disclaimer: Ano…yo no poseo Naruto. **

**; ) Smile. **

**This chapter is dedicated to CallyGreen.**

**Alright, I've decided that I'm going to answer questions that I got from reviews (since I got enough of them that it's worth posting)**

**The number one question; Where did Sasuke go? **

Meh. You'll find out in the next chapter.

**Did Sasuke and Tsunade's talk earlier have anything to do with him leaving?**

Honestly, since you'll find out soon…no. She had no idea he had intentions of leaving.

**Did Sasuke go after Team Hebi?**

Nope, getting closer though ; P.

**Will I be having the next chapters in Sasuke's POV?**

I'm not into writing character POV. So no. But I will be writing portions of his little 'adventure' so we don't feel left out and we knew what he is really doing. It won't be anything over the top, but enough so you can understand why he left.

**Will Sasuke come back?**

Of course. Or else this story would end muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch sooner than I anticipate it to.

**Do I know how to speak Japanese?**

Nah, but I'm trying to teach myself. I can do small phrases like 'good morning' or 'thanks' or 'thanks for the meal' or 'please' but nothing too great.

**Will Sakura be pregnant again?**

This…I'm not going to say. Sorry.

**Alright, ask any questions if you have them and I'll start answering any I get at the beginning of the chapter. **

**Now onward! CHARGE!**

"I can't get a hold of her."

Shikamaru sighed detestably and set the phone down on the bedside table. He had tried repeatedly calling Sakura's cell phone but it was no use. There was no answer and it seemed that the girl didn't have her cell phone with her. He looked down at Ino who was sleeping peacefully, her chest and stomach rising and falling in rhythm with her rhythmic breathing.

"Well I'm sure you can have her come over tomorrow. Ino looks to be okay for now." Tsumi said, watching her daughter from the edge of the bed. She stood up with a quick glance at the clock. "But I believe my job as a mother here is done for now. You'll take care of her I'm sure. Just be sure to call me if you need to. I'll lock the door on my way out."

The older blonde woman smiled warmly at Shikamaru. She moved and placed a soft kiss on Ino's cheek and walked out the door, saying goodnight.

Hearing the front door shut, Shikamaru stood up from the bed and went to change his clothes. He was ready for bed after letting his hair down and brushing it as well as his teeth. He yawned and stretched as he walked back over to the bed, pulling the covers back and climbing in, trying not to rouse Ino.

Shikamaru faced Ino and reached a hand out, wanting to pull her closer. She gave him quite a scare when he had walked in and saw her in the state she was in. The look of pain along with the tears tore at his heart. He never wanted to see her like that again. He wanted to be at her side to take care of her.

But with the upcoming chuunin exams he knew it would be difficult. They had worked the group to the bone today and he was tired. They were going all out this time for the exam and it was taking up all of the team's time and effort to make sure things would be all set.

But now, he knew he would have to find time for Ino. He had to make sure nothing like this ever happened again. He would take care of her.

**---------**

The morning seemed like hell. The humid temperatures were a definite input to the problem, but the way Sakura felt made everything worse. She felt as though she had been hacked open with a hatchet. She wanted to close her eyes, to continue sleeping but it was pointless. It was late in the morning and she was all alone in the bed, making her feel lonely.

Like a hollow chocolate bunny that you got for Easter.

Though she probably didn't taste as good.

She wanted to be lazy. She wanted to be a baby and stay in Kakashi's bed all day and never get up. She wanted to be looked out for, to be served upon and cared for. But she had learned that you never get what you want. And despite all of these options being easily obtainable, she wouldn't allow it.

This time it was her turn. She wouldn't carry a sorrow-full face. Even if her face was blank and void of emotions, at least it wouldn't be pitiful looking. She would toughen up, even if that meant putting up a blockade that was icy cold, she would do it. Anything to prevent being hurt again. And she would accept the love and support of her friends and makeshift family, knowing she had to pull through this. He wouldn't bring her down twice.

But today at least, she could mope slightly. She had every right. Just get the horrible, self pity feelings out and start again, nice and fresh tomorrow. 

Her legs felt like jelly as she stood up from the bed. She caught herself before she could collapse and steadied herself before she started walking. Her feet moved gracelessly with static movements, all the way to the living room. There she found Genma sitting on the couch, watching some program on the television. He was fully dressed and awake, unlike herself.

Glumly she sat beside him on the couch, drawing her knees up to herself like a protective barrier. An arm was wrapped around her shoulders and she was drawn into the warm body beside her. The comfort would have felt nice if she herself had felt better, but instead it was like the sun in Antarctica. The beams of the sun warmed the lands, but the thick layers of ice and permafrost couldn't be melted.

"Morning." He purred beside her, smiling brightly. She didn't return a smile, nor did she return any form of greeting. She merely leaned her head into his chest and stayed there, staring blankly at the TV. She felt slightly less lonely.

"Just so you know, Kakashi is away for the morning and will be with your team for the day. If you'd like to join them then we can go to the training grounds. Otherwise I'm going to stay here with you for the day." Genma said warmly in a gentle voice. He made it sound like she was going to break if he talked any louder. But how can you break something that is already broken?

Though she wanted to be the needy little girl for the day, she felt horrible. The way Genma worded the sentence made it sound like he was staying here the whole day just for her. And that was unfair. This was her problem to deal with. She didn't want to bring other people down, and make them miserable as well in the process. That would make everything worse.

"You don't have to stay here because of me." She mumbled almost incoherently into his chest. She could feel his hand moving, rubbing her shoulder caringly as he chuckled lightly.

"Nonsense. I want to stay here with my baby girl. You need someone here with you." He said then continued. "Besides, we haven't been able to spend a lot of time together lately."

Not responding, Sakura simply sank back down into the man's chest, planning on just going along with what he said. If he wanted to stay here with her, then let him. It didn't bother her and she was more than grateful for the company.

Mindlessly, Sakura started to play with the engagement ring on her pink finger.

**------------**

"You have got to be kidding me."

"I'm afraid it's true. And she's a wreck at the moment. She's at the house with Genma right now. She was sleeping when I left, but I assume she is awake now."

With glowing, frustrated eyes, Tsunade peered over her laced fingers at the masked jounin that stood before her. "What reasons would he have that he had to leave? Without permission at that?" She questioned more to herself. The woman leaned back in her chair, legs crossing, and sighed.

Kakashi said nothing, looking void of feelings. "I can't say. I wasn't as close and wasn't able to keep as close of an eye on him as I was when he was younger. So his intentions for leaving are a complete mystery to me." Kakashi deduced.

Tsunade nodded, more or less having a conversation with herself in her head. Her eyes were gazing at the ceiling and her lips moved quickly.

"Shall we put together a search team?" Kakashi asked.

The Hokage thought for a moment, and then leaned into her desk. "No. You said that he left two objects behind for Sakura?" She questioned, raising one eyebrow.

Kakashi nodded, hands now being shoved into his pocket. "Yes. One was a forget-me-not flower as far as I could tell. And I'm sure she had one other thing, though I wasn't able to see what it was or where she had placed it. I believe it was something precious and she must have it close to her." He said.

The blonde nodded once more. "That flower obviously holds a meaning." She said. "It's as if he's telling her not to forget him; to wait for him." A confused look crept upon her face. "You do think it's possible that he will return do you?" she asked.

Scratching his chin Kakashi shrugged. "It is possible. I mean, that is what the flower is supposed to say isn't it? It's strange how he was able to pull off a romantic way to tell her he was leaving." He frowned behind the mask.

"Yeah, well let's not applaud him. When and if he does return, he won't get off as easily as he did last time. Although, depending on when he comes back, his punishment may not be in my hands." She said and thought of her next issue. "I have talked to the elders, and though they are skeptical I have made good points to them and they have agreed that Naruto would make a good Rokudaime. I believe the news shouldn't be held from him anymore."

Kakashi almost looked skeptical. "As much as I agree that he should be told, do you think that he can keep his motor mouth closed? I mean, do you want the word to spread through the village?" he inquired.

Tsunade's lips twitched upward slightly. "They have to find out sometime. Why not sooner than I anticipated?"

**------------**

"Dwonf't rufsh mwe." Came the angry growl from the blonde who was hunched over his ramen bowl. He looked sideways at Kakashi, his eyes narrowed into slits. He never liked it when anyone rushed him into eating his ramen. It agitated him to no end.

On his other (left) side, Sai finished his first (and only) bowl and placed his chopsticks down. "What could be so important that you are in a rush?" He asked, looking dully at Kakashi. The older man shrugged, pushing his bowl aside.

"Just special reasons. If you wish to take forever, then that's your choice." He said passively and reached into his back pouch and extracted a deep purple book, the latest book in the Icha Icha series.

Naruto swallowed his last bite of noodles and started to gulp down the broth, the savory flavor delightful on his tongue. He set the bowl back down. "Heh, you make it sound important. What would Tsunade-baa-chan want me for?" he asked and stood up, placing his money on the countertop.

Kakashi ignored him and said to Sai, his eyes never leaving the book. "You come along as well Sai. I want the team to know this."

The trio thanked the old man for the ramen and left the stand, now walking down the road towards the Hokage mansion. "What about Sakura-chan?" Naruto suddenly asked curiously. He had noticed that she and Sasuke both were absent from training and when he questioned Kakashi about going to find them, the man told him not to worry about it. "Sasuke-teme too. What about them?"

"No worries. We'll tell them later." Kakashi said monotone, trying to get off the subject. He was trying to put off telling the two about Sasuke's sudden departure, knowing that Naruto would explode and do something drastic, and Sai…would do something.

Naruto frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. He watched Kakashi suspiciously out of the corner of his eye, feeling that the older man was keeping something from him. He didn't like that. And he had a big suspicion that it did have something to do with Sasuke and Sakura. What did Kakashi know that he didn't?

Kakashi led the two right up the stairs, down the hallway and knocked when he was outside of Tsunade's door. A grunt was the 'ok' signal for them to enter and Kakashi held the door open for Naruto and Sai.

Tsunade looked up from a book she was reading. A stack of papers that looked like they needed to be signed sat untouched on the desk, and an opened bottle of sake sat beside them. Shizune obviously hadn't been in lately. She marked the page she left off on and shut the book, smiling broadly in Naruto's direction. The blue eyed boy took a step back in retaliation.

"Just the group I wanted to see. I really don't think that there is any point in delaying this, so I'll just come out and tell you everything." She said beaming. Naruto looked to some extent scared, and Sai simply raised an eyebrow. Kakashi, having already heard the news, decided to lean against the wall by the door, eyes more focused on the book in hand.

"I have recently decided that, even if I detest saying it," she made a sour face, "I'm getting older now..."

Naruto stifled his laughter, a hand moving to cover his mouth as a few giggles escaped. "I think you're past that Baa-chan." He laughed amused.

Glaring harshly, Tsunade was un-amused. "Funny. But besides that, I have decided that it's time for me to…"

There was a sliding noise behind her and the window was opened. A head of white hair popped up and a large grin adorned the man's face. "Well don't stop on my account." He joked.

"You were supposed to return three days ago." Tsunade said irritably. Jiraiya's face never fell and he climbed into the room and stood beside her.

"I made a quick stop somewhere. These old bones need a break every once in a while." He said. Tsunade rolled her eyes, knowing that he meant that he stayed at a hot springs. She never liked the thought of him near a hot spring, and had always done everything she could to keep him away from them. For the girl's privacy, and his safety.

"Right." She growled, now agitated. She couldn't help but feel enlightened that he was back. It had been a painful month waiting for him to return. These days you never knew what was going to happen, especially if you were out looking for a powerful group of villains. Turning back to Naruto, she focused on finishing what she started.

"As I was saying. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I believe the timing is right." She smiled softly, now fully sure of her decision. "I'm stepping down from my title as Hokage."

"WHAT!?" Naruto exclaimed loudly. His eyes were nearly popping out of his head.

"But," the woman carried on, loving the reaction she was receiving. The shock on Naruto's face was nearly priceless, but she knew it could only get better. Kakashi had even lowered his book and was watching the boy, waiting for the words to be said. "Uzumaki Naruto, you have been chosen as the next Rokudaime!"

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"YATTA!" The pure joy that washed over the boy's face was indescribable. He looked like a six year old who was told that he was the new owner of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. His grin seemed to take up half of his face and his eyes were wide, yet they were scrunched up into small slits of unbound happiness. "HA! I KNEW THIS DAY WOULD COME! UZUMAKI NARUTO, HOKAGE! HA HA HA!" His words came out in delighted yells and he was shaking with glee. Suddenly he started jumping up and down like a small child, glowing ecstatically and exclaiming wild things at the top of his voice.

"Move over Tsunade-baa-chan I'm taking over that seat!" he shouted and pointed a finger directly at her. Tsunade smirked, not bothered by his enthusiasm. She had figured his reaction would be something like this, though it was a bit more over the top than she thought. Now she was just waiting for him to start doing cartwheels and break dancing.

"There is another thing we need to discuss though." Tsunade said, trying to settle the boy down and gain his attention. It just wasn't happening though as Naruto rounded on Sai.

"Ha bastard! No more name calling! I overpower you now! Bow down and kiss my feet!" The blonde said loudly, closing his eyes and standing up straighter to look more defiant. Sai looked to be in shock from what he had heard. Dickless? Hokage? There was just no way!

"Naruto, there is more that I have to tell you." Tsunade said seriously. She didn't want to be the bearer of bad news after telling him of the new title he was being granted, but she was saving this for after purposely. If she had reversed the order, he might not have stuck around to hear that he was the new Hokage.

Still not listening, Naruto continued his rant. "Sakura-chan. I have to tell Sakura-chan! And Teme, oh I have to _rub_ this in his face!"

And before anyone could blink, he was out the door and gone from sight.

Shaking her head, Tsunade sighed, pressing her thumb and index finger to the bridge of her nose. Ignoring her small sake cup, she picked up the bottle and took a long drink. "He may be fine for now, but unless Sakura keeps her mouth shut, then he's going lose the cheerful outlook fast." She breathed out. "Kakashi, you and Sai can leave. And please explain to him what I wanted to tell Naruto. They have to know."

Kakashi pushed himself off the wall and followed Sai out of the room.

He knew that when Naruto found Sakura, he was in for a quick sobering.

**------------**

"Do you want to go anywhere? Shopping or something?"

Shaking her head, she stared at the earthy ground as they traveled down the road, heading back towards the apartment.

"Come on now, don't be so glum. I don't want to think I'm that bad of a date." Genma joked, wrapping an arm around the girls shoulder and drawing her in close. He had offered to take her out to lunch, allow her to see sunlight in hopes that it would brighten her un-cheerful mood. She had returned to how she was the last time she was depressed and he had resolved in his own way to keeping her on the brighter side.

Each of the guys had their own way of taking care of Sakura. Genma had always resorted into spending money on her (which did more harm, making Sakura feel bad for having him waste money on her). He would always come home with something for her, or he would offer to take her out. Kakashi was the laid back father, just the shoulder for her to cry on. He didn't anything special besides allow her to sleep in his bed and do the necessary things that involved taking care of a heartbroken adolescent.

Naruto was…well Naruto. The overly loving hyper acting friend who did everything he could to make her feel better. And that included being around nearly 24/7. Sai even, however vaguely, helped out. He would paint her pictures, take her out for walks through the woods. A lot of the times they wouldn't talk, but instead just sit together and think their own thoughts and relax, something that helped Sakura immensely. She had always loved taking those walks with Sai, just the two of them. She didn't particularly get to know any more than she already knew about him, but it was somehow comforting with him there. No words exchanged, just the sound of nature creating a natural lullaby for them both.

"Sakura-chan!"

The pace of their walking slowed and both turned to see the orange clad figure running at top speed in the distance.

"Sakura-chaaaaan!"

Naruto caught up with both of them, doubled over and panting for breath. "You'll….never guess…what." He heaved, trying his hardest to regain his breath. When he had regained his breath and was standing up straighter, he suddenly noticed who was missing. "Hey, where's Sasuke? Isn't someone supposed to be watching him? I have to tell him this too, I can't wait to rub it in his fa- huh? Sakura-chan what's wrong?"

Now pressing herself further into Genma's hold, the girl couldn't believe the amount of pain that just the sound of his name caused. She refused to cry, and luckily no tears welled up in her eyes. But the look on the face said it all, and her hand went to her chest, clenching it tightly as if trying to get the pain to stop. Stop the pain, stop the ache, stop the longing and the agony. Stop it all. It hurt too much.

"Sakura-chan, tell me what's wrong, please." Naruto pleaded. The pained look on her face scared him. "Is it Teme? What has he done?" the tone of the boy's voice suddenly grew angry.

Sakura shook her head and couldn't help it as her body began to shake. Pain, ache, loneliness, heartbreak, love no more. She pressed back into Genma further and clenched at her chest tighter, willing the pain to disperse.

Genma wrapped a protective around her front, and sighed sadly. His chocolate eyes were filled with sorrow for the girl and he wished that he could take her pain away. Sadly, he looked up at Naruto and spoke, knowing the boy deserved the truth. "Last night, Sasuke left."

Genma was unable to say anything else. Naruto's expression became furious and his teeth began to grind together. His eyes flashed dangerously as he looked upon the shaking girl once more and they suddenly morphed from sky blue to bloody crimson. He felt on fire as hate for Sasuke swelled up inside of him. All joyful feelings he had previously felt were long gone.

"Fucking prick."

**-----------**

Once Sai and Kakashi left, Jiraiya had slowly walked around Tsunade's desk and took a seat on the edge. He looked at the frustrated woman and thought of what he should go over first.

"So when exactly did you decide to retire?" he questioned inquisitively.

Rolling her amber eyes, Tsunade knew that he was going to get on her case about this. "Since I took the job." She answered. "I was able to fully convince the Feudal Lord on my own may I add. It would have been nice if you were here, but that doesn't matter. It's over and the decision has been made." She didn't look thrilled.

"Well, I knew you were retiring, and I knew that they were going to consider Naruto, but I didn't think that they would easily accept Naruto. It just surprised me." Jiraiya said, happy for his young student. An uneasy silence surrounded them both for a few moments.

"What else were you going to tell him?"

Sitting back in her chair, Tsunade stretched lazily. "Uchiha ran off last night. I have no idea what his intentions are, but by the sign of things it appears that he will be back. I hope at least." She said unimpressed.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Is it possible that he could have found out about…about that thing?"

Tsunade sat up. "So it's positive?" she asked, now at full attention.

Jiraiya nodded and gazed out the window. "Akatsuki have recently moved and are now somewhere in Fire country. Somewhere around the Fire and Wind borderline. I don't believe they are a threat at the moment, but we must keep an eye on them." A light breeze blew in from the open window, ruffling the pair's hair and tossing a few papers around. "Notifying the Sand village would be a smart move as well, keep them on their toes."

Tsunade nodded and patted her hair back down. Everything seemed to be chaotic lately, and though she wasn't going to be Hokage too much longer, she would still have to help manage quite a few things when he stepped down.

"How has Sakura taken to Sasuke's departure?" Jiraiya dared to ask.

Tsunade felt a pang in her chest when she thought of her apprentice and the suffering she must be going through. "According to Kakashi, not good at all. I'm not sure if she'll be the same after this. She had her heart set on this boy, and she was used by him. That doesn't make any girl feel good." Tsunade's teeth ground together. "Oh I'll wring that Uchiha's neck if I get the chance!" she threatened out loud.

Jiraiya shook his head, knowing that she never went back on her words. If that Uchiha was smart…

he'd stay out of this village for good.

**It's short. I don't like short (chapter wise, no offense to short people). I'm sorry I couldn't give you guys more, but I was having serious problems with this chappie. So I'm hoping that if I give you two short chappies, then everything afterwards will run smoothly and be longer than these have been. Once I get past the next chapter I know what I'm going to write. So these are my little road blocks along the way to getting to where I want. **

**Don't hate the shortness please. And review. I fell short of reviews last chapter which made me feel sad and discouraged. Just say one word, or make a smiley face, I don't care. I love them either way. **

**Ja!**


	36. Breakdown

**I'm happy. I love you all. Thanks for the reviews. I hope this chapter turns out well. I really do. Then the next chapter will as well. **

**Disclaimer: Ah…next!**

**  
We have a couple of questions!**

**Will I be pairing Jiraiya and Tsunade?**

Personally I absolutely love this pairing. I might do the pairing. Tell me if you want some Jiraiya/Tsunade!

**What was the "thing" Jiraiya was talking about. **

Not saying ;p

**Did Sasuke go after Itachi?**

Refer back to chapter 1 for those of you who still think Itachi is alive. --'

**Is Sasuke going to kill someone?**

Ah…yes. But I won't say who. Read, read!

**When will he return?**

It won't take too long.

**Is Sakura going to fall in love with someone else?**

She's a bit too devoted to fall in love with another person. I personally think that you can't fall in and out of love fast. But it's my opinion, not yours.

**Is Sakura still going to be in her "state" until Sasuke comes back.**

-nods- Unfortunately, yes.

**Is Sakura wearing the ring on her finger?**

Of course, I don't think she would easily take it off. People do notice, but she doesn't wear it on her ring finger, so they don't say much.

**Breakdown**

The water was steamy, and the mirror was already fogged up from the hot temperature. The towel fell from her body and she took the first step into the hot water.

She held in the hiss of pain when she felt the burning sensation. But she needed this. The water would only be right at this temp. She fully stepped into the tub of water and began to sink down, feeling the burn run along her bare flesh. Despite the burn it felt good. It was perfect.

The first call into the bathroom came right then. "Everything alright Sakura-chan?"

Of course it was Naruto to be the first one to check in on her. And she had only been in the bathroom for just over five minutes.

"Fine." She called back, wanting him to leave her be. She knew it wouldn't be the only time someone would call in for her.

The first thing she went for was the small body scrubber. She drenched it in water and doused it with soap that would surely make her smell like a man. Kakashi and Genma never kept anything fruity to wash with.

With rash movements, she began to scrub along her left arm. The impetuous movements along with the high water temperature easily caused her arm to turn a bright red. She moved the scrubber along her arm, to her chest and continued her attack on her skin. Her teeth were clenched and she was glaring at herself.

She felt incredibly dirty. Like there was grime beneath her skin that she couldn't see. But she could feel it. Like there was something crawling, and she was now trying her hardest to cleanse herself. She had been used, she had been defiled. She was half blind, knowing that his intentions weren't what she wanted, but she never stepped away. So she ended up hurt. It was her fault. She was horrible.

She was rubbing herself raw now, trying her hardest to get clean. Her efforts were in vain, she knew it but she wasn't going to stop. Not until she was satisfied, at least for tonight.

"Do you need anything Sakura?"

This time it was Genma. He was the other person she had expected to hear from, and she quickly replied with the same answer she gave Naruto.

"Fine."

She could tell he was hesitating, but then she heard his retreating footsteps. She didn't know if she liked, or disliked the boys' over protectiveness.

Frustration washed over her and she suddenly threw the scrubber down into the water. She wanted to cry out, but reframed from doing so, not wanting to catch the guys' attention. Slowly she sank down into the water, just wanting to drown her pain and fears.

**------------**

Naruto flat out refused to leave. Persistently he insisted that he stay at Kakashi's for the night. It was obvious that he was worried, obvious that he wanted to watch over Sakura. It was hard to refuse and in the end Kakashi agreed, telling the boy that he was to sleep on the couch. Naruto nodded, glad that his team leader wasn't going to kick him out.

After her bath, Sakura had applied plenty of lotion to try and help the horrid condition of her skin, but the redness wouldn't go away. The bath hadn't fully satisfied her, but it was good enough. There was nothing that could be done.

She had insisted on making dinner, which no one argued against her. The more she was occupied, the better. No one had bothered her, and not much in the form of words was exchanged. It was a silent evening until she couldn't take it.

Silently she stood up and wandered to Kakashi's room. N questions asked, just three pairs of eyes watching her as she walked away.

She wasn't asleep when Kakashi did come in, first gathering things to make up the couch for Naruto. When he was finished and climbing into bed, the man knew that Sakura wasn't asleep. It couldn't be helped, and it was something that was familiar from long ago. He never had a way to deal with it then, and he didn't have one now.

Last time when he first had to take care of Sakura he was so lost in what to do that he had called Kurenai in hopes that she would know something. She of course had just given birth to her little boy and was growling into the phone that she had no experience with girls since Hinata never presented many problems that needed to be dealt with and she had never had any drastic teenage problems of her own. She tried to help him the best she could with a crying baby in her arms and a complaining husband by her side. Kakashi appreciated the help more than she would ever know.

But insomnia was something he didn't know how to deal with. He couldn't get inside of her mind and wasn't one to privy into someone's private thoughts. If she wanted to talk, she would. So instead he just tried to get his own sleep.

The bed moved beside him and he felt her eyes on him. He rolled over and faced her, meeting her look. Her eyes were dull and held no light. Even as the moonbeams reflected off of them, there was nothing there. No shine or anything. The glow of the moon allowed him to fully noticed to scruff marks on her neck from her scrubbing furiously away at her skin. He couldn't think of what pushed her to do anything of the sort to herself and felt a horrible feeling within him.

"Do you think…" she spoke in a blunt whisper. "that Naruto will be good as the next Hokage?" She turned onto her back and stared blankly at the ceiling.

He was curious by her strange question. The question itself wasn't strange, just the fact that she was acting was strange. Surely she should already know the answer to this. "I have no doubt." He whispered back, wondering where she was taking this conversation.

"It just makes me think." she continued on. "Naruto has always had a goal. Since he was young, he had always wanted to be the Hokage. And now, finally he has achieved his goal. So…what do we do after we achieve our goals?"

He had a feeling that this conversation was not about Naruto but instead about a raven haired avenger. He knew that she wanted answers more than he did. "It's hard to say." He said. "I guess it really depends on the person."

The girl nodded robotically. "I guess you're right. It's just strange. Naruto, he had a goal and he achieved it. And…and _he_ had a goal, and he achieved it. But I've never had a true life's goal. And now I'm starting to wonder, what am I doing in this world?"

Though Kakashi could hear the words and she was speaking to him, he felt that she wasn't speaking directly to him. More, she was expressing her thoughts and he happened to be there to hear them. He simply kept him mouth closed and listened to what she was saying.

"And now, I think I'm getting a clearer picture. I save people, all the time, whenever I work. That's what I want to do. I want to continue saving people and be the best kunoichi I can be. I can't let anything hold me back. These emotions that I feel, they're just restraints. I know I have to toughen up. And I have to…let go of the past."

Her eyes were dry, her spirit was broken, and her will to move on was strong. She would do everything she could just to set her life straight. She had to get back on track, move on and go with the flow that seemed to have turned into a raging tidal wave. She picked up the pieces and now she just had to reassemble them. That was her next challenge.

"Thank you…for everything." She said, now turning over to face Kakashi. The man smiled warmly.

"I'm always here for you Sakura. No matter what happens."

**--------------**

**One week later**

**--------------**

"Preparations are already being prepared."

Sigh. "Right, when will the ceremony take place?"

"It will be in two weeks. On August first. The only thing that you need to worry about is showing up. And also, you will be asked about the guest list. By that we mean, the family will of course attend, but if you wish to have anyone else attend to make note of it to the staff. They will need to know how many."

He nodded. "I understand."

"…"

"…"

"Will you be making your announcement that evening?"

"…yes. She just doesn't know it yet."

The other laughed lightly. "I believe it's best if you inform her on your decision."

"…"

"…"

"…Yes Uncle."

**------------**

Tsunade and Shizune watched from a distance as Sakura made her way into her patient's room. They had been keeping a very close eye on the girl, making sure she was able to handle everything and didn't break down or anything. But she seemed to be fine, and to them that wasn't right. It wasn't the behavior they were expecting.

For the past week, Sakura had been working harder than ever before. She was always the first one to arrive at the hospital, and always stayed later than she should, working twelve hour shifts only to rest for about an hour and get up to work some more. She was a working machine and it was worrisome to those around her.

"We really should send her home." Shizune checked the clock. It was almost nine at night. "She's been here since seven in the morning. _Yesterday_ morning."

"Don't you think I've tried?" Tsunade hissed out of the corner of her mouth. The pair was for once, lazing around for a bit. Thanks to Sakura, the girl had sucked up most of the work from everyone else. There wasn't much for them to do now. "I'm tired of seeing her moping between rooms with a snack bar hanging from her mouth. It's unbelievable. I expected to find her crying in a closet somewhere."

Shizune nodded in agreement. "It is weird. Sakura really has changed." She said astonished. She watched the girl emerge from the room, check something off of her clipboard and move down to the next room. Faintly you could see the dark shadows under here eyes from lack of sleep, but the girl was persistent, find her work a good distraction from the horrible things on her mind. It helped her propel forward and forget about other things.

Tsunade nodded. "Mhm. And I don't know if this change is for the better or worse."

**-------------**

Shikamaru didn't have many options. He had to leave very soon so he could meet Temari, but he found it hard to pull himself away from Ino. Ever since her incident last week, he'd been worried about leaving her side for too long. Normally he would escort her to the academy or to the flower shop if she was going to help her mother out. But instead, today had to be one of her 'sick' days. One of those occasional days were she got sick and felt like crap.

So what was he to do? Ino was in no condition to work for the day, so what was she to do? He was afraid to leave her home alone. He couldn't bare the thought of coming home to find her like he did before.

Thinking as quickly as he could, he knew he had two options. And hopefully neither of them had any missions today. Picking up the phone he hurriedly dialed a phone number that he had never called before.

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ri…_

"_Hello?"_

"Tenten? It's Shikamaru." He said, hoping that he didn't seem weird for calling her.

"_Oh, Shikamaru. Do you need something?" _He obviously wouldn't call just to chat.

"Yeah, are you free from missions today?" he questioned, his words almost mixing by his rushed speech.

"_Uh, if you need me for something, then I'm free. What is it?" _The girl questioned.

It felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulder when she said those words. "Yeah, if it's not too much trouble could you spend the day with Ino? She's not feeling too well and…"

"_And you're worried." _Tenten finished for him, giggling.

Shikamaru couldn't help but let out a chuckle, having been found out so easily. "Heh, yeah I guess."

"_It's alright. I'll come right over, I'm not doing anything."_ She said.

"Thanks Tenten." Shikamaru sighed. The phone went dead and he hung up. Down the hall the bathroom door opened and Ino walked out into the living room, holding her stomach miserably.

"Who were you talking to?" she questioned tiredly while plopping down onto the couch.

"Tenten, she's coming to spend the day with you." Shikamaru said. He started to pull his vest over his shirt. Then he moved over to the doorway and grabbed his sandals, sitting on the couch besides Ino and pulled them on.

Ino glowered slightly, pouting in his direction. "I'm fine on my own Shika-kun." Despite what she said the thought of having Tenten come over was nice. She hadn't spent a lot of time together with the girl and the two needed to talk. She wanted to know everything about her and Neji. And the fact that Shikamaru was requesting people to stay with her meant that he was worried and cared for her. She felt loved.

"You'll be working all day again?" she questioned, hugging the couch pillow. She pulled on a loose thread and began to toy with it childishly.

"Yes." He answered shortly, knowing she wouldn't be happy. Not to mention he would be working with Temari all day, that wouldn't make her happy at all.

She never responded and instead reached for the TV remote that sat on the table before her. Shikamaru knew she wouldn't like the thought of being 'babysat' but he didn't care. He felt better knowing that someone was with her.

"I have to go." He spoke after noticing what time it was. His arm slipped naturally around her waist and he drew the girl into a loving kiss. He pulled away and stood up. "I love you and I'll see you later."

"I love you too." The girl finally said when he was at the door. He smiled back at her over his shoulder.

And then he was gone.

**-------------------------**

There it stood before his eyes. A place he knew well, yet never wanted to know. He had gone there for one thing and one thing only. Power. Now he was going to use that against it.

Sasuke had been traveling for days, stopping only to find something to eat or to take a quick break. Now he was close to what he had to do. It was just the process of doing what had to be done that was left.

He was angry still, and that anger hadn't left him. This place, what could they want with him? Why had they gone after Sakura to find him? What could the Sound village still want with him?

He would be lying if he said Sakura had no reason as to why he was here. It was getting harder and harder, the closer he came to this village to deny the fact that she had caught him. Entangled him in a confusing thread of emotions that he had never experienced before. She was definitely something, but what was she to him exactly? What were his true feelings for her?

For one thing, they were above anything of a normal teammate. The way she made him feel, the way she made his head spin was frustrating and downright annoying. No one made him feel the things he felt now, so why her? What could it possibly be?

_Love._

As much as he wanted to deny it as a possibility it was hard to ignore. He had never been in love before; he didn't know what it felt like. The way Sakura made him feel, they could quiet possibly be the feelings of love. But what if it wasn't? Then what? A stupid infatuation that meant nothing. How could he know for sure?

_Show her your true feelings._

His mind was going crazy with these outrageous thoughts. His fist slammed into the tree he had been leaning against. Letting out a low growl, he proceeded through the forest, the moon guiding him along his path.

He would find out what the Sound village wanted for him. And then he would destroy them all.

Kill them all.

For her sake.

So he knew she was safe. And so he could return to her with a less burdened heart.

**--------------**

"So how has everything been for you?" Ino asked with a sly smile. She held her tea cup tightly as she waited for the blushing girl to answer. Tenten seemed to hide behind her cup.

"Fine. I mean, what is there to say?" she answered quietly.

"Oh come on!" Ino said in exasperation. She set her cup down on a coaster on the table. She was sure that if she didn't put it down it might be spilled with her rash arm movements. "You are with Hyuuga Neji! Neji of all people! You're engaged to him. There has to be plenty to say."

Tenten shrugged. "Ino, really there isn't much to say. I mean, of course we're closer now and we spend more time together. But there isn't much to tell."

"Oh yeah." Ino said with a devious smirk. "Tell me, what kind of lover is Neji?" she asked. Screw manners, Ino had never possessed them in the first place. She was rude and she knew it.

Tenten's blush intensified. She took a long gulp of tea then realized that the cup was empty. Damn. "Uh…he's nice….a-and sweet." She said.

"Cute." Ino said with a roll of her eyes. "But how is he in the bedroom? Is he feisty?" Ino wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. She was feeling a hell of a lot better than she was this morning and it showed.

The brown haired girl began to question what sanity she had let go of when she agreed to stay with Ino. She wanted to _die_ right now. "I-I don't know. We haven't…"

"You haven't? How long has it been? Three weeks right? Or longer?" Ino asked.

"Two weeks." Tenten said, hiding her bright red face. If Ino wasn't pregnant, she honestly didn't know what she would have done to the girl. Screamed at her? Tackled her to the ground? Slapped her? Who knows.

Suddenly a muffled ring tone set off and Tenten reached for her cell phone. It was such a handy device for all ninja's to have. "Hello?"

"_Tenten, it's me. Where are you?"_

"Oh, Neji. I'm at Ino's." she said, wondering what he could want. Ino slid closer to her, putting her ear right next to the phone so she could listen in.

"_You don't mind if I stop by do you? I have something to give you."_ He said.

"Of course not."

"_Good. I'll be over in a little bit. Bye." _He hung up the phone and Tenten shut the phone with a curious look.

"I wonder what he's going to give me." She said out loud. Ino practically squealed in delight.

"That's so sweet. He's buying you things and hand delivering them! Now that's a lover boy! Who knew that stone cold Hyuuga could be so romantic. You scored yourself one hell of a winner. He's sweet, caring, and nice eye candy."

"Ino!"

"Just saying." Ino said. Suddenly her stomach growled. It was later in the afternoon and she knew that she wanted lunch. "Shush. I'll feed you." She told her stomach and pet it delicately. She looked up at Tenten who was giggling at Ino's ministrations. "Lunch?" the blonde asked.

"Mm." Tenten nodded and stood up. "I'll help." She said. Both girls entered the kitchen in search of food.

**------------**

He knew he would easily be seen since he was walking right down the streets of the Sound village. It was the dead of night, and no one seemed to be awake. And his plan was, if someone were to come after him he would simply kill them. It was as easy as that.

"What did I tell you?" came a voice from above. The voice was familiar, he knew it well. It wasn't all too long ago that he had heard it either. He looked up, his eyes crimson as they focused on the redheaded girl who was sitting on the edge of one of the buildings. She smirked down at Sasuke, her eyes flashing behind her glasses. "I said that our paths would cross again some day. I'm never wrong." She said smugly before jumping down before him.

Sasuke couldn't help but glare at the girl. "I didn't think you guys would actually return here." He said to her.

"We weren't staying in the village. They don't want us here. We were staying off in the woods when I felt your chakra. Suigetsu and Juugo should be catching up soon." She said and moved closer to him. "Though, I'm curious. Why are you here?" she asked. "Don't you have someone with your child to take care of?"

His face was hard and his eyes were cold. He didn't like the casual tone of her voice, the way she was moving towards him, or the satisfied smirk on her face.

"It wasn't to see you." Sasuke growled He could feel Juugo and Suigetsu's chakra approaching and knew that they couldn't get there fast enough for his satisfaction. "I came here to destroy someone." He spoke.

"Oh. On your path of revenge again huh? What did this person do now? Did they threaten you Sasuke-kun? I'll help you destroy them! Did they hurt someone? What?" she asked in a tone that Sasuke loathed.

He was trying to hold back from grabbing his chokuto and hurting the girl badly. Killing her even. Man she just bothered him to no end and his tolerance for her was running out. Luckily, for Karin anyways, Suigetsu and Juugo had arrived and both jumped down from the rooftops and stood with the other two.

"I knew you'd miss us!" Suigetsu said with a wide smirk, his pointy teeth glistening in the moonlight. His hand clamped down onto Sasuke's shoulder.

"Don't waste your breath. He's not here for us." Karin seethed and crossed her arms over her chest.

The shark man's face fell only slightly. "Oh. Then what could you possibly want here?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow. It just didn't make sense that he would come here for anything but a mission when he had so much back in his home village.

Sighing, Sasuke began to walk down the road again. He could see the large central towel in the distance, the place that he wanted to go. "They killed my child." He breathed out darkly, murderous intent evident in his voice. "They hurt her. And all of it was done because they wanted to know where I was. So…here I am."

His stride grew as well as his anger towards this place. He would find the one person, the one person who initiated everything. He would have his revenge. He would…he would make sure she would stay safe.

"Man, that's rough. We'll help you, just like we helped you before." Suigetsu said. Juugo nodded in his agreement. Karin didn't say anything. She was fully willing and wanting to help Sasuke, but the fact that he was fighting for another woman was heartbreaking. She would fight, but only on a sour note.

"Right. But this is my revenge." Sasuke said, his eyes smoldering with bloodlust. "So don't get in my way. I don't care about anyone else; kill anyone who comes after you. But," he said and stopped. Slowly he looked over his shoulder, eyes glowing.

"Kabuto is mine to kill."

**-----------------**

The knock on the door caused both girls to turn and peek out of the kitchen.

"It's obviously for you." Ino said and pushed Tenten. "I'll finish this up." She said, motioning at the pot on the stove. The chocolate eyed girl nodded and went to answer the door.

Not to her surprise Neji was there with a questioning look. She understood what he wanted to know. "Shikamaru is concerned about Ino," she explained in a hushed whisper. "so he asked if I would stay here with her for the day."

Neji nodded now understanding why she was with Ino. He understood that the two were friends, but he didn't know the extent of their friendship.

Tenten observed Neji carefully. It didn't look like he had anything in hand. He did say he wanted to give her something, so what could he have to give her. "You want to come in, we're having lunch."

"Yes." He answered and moved inside with her.

"We're making ramen, if you want some. It should be nearly done." Tenten spoke and was about to walk into the kitchen when she felt a hand grasp her wrist. She looked down at her wrist then up at Neji. He quickly let her go and stood back.

"Sorry." He spoke quietly. Then he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small black box. "I…got you something." The way he spoke made it seem that he was embarrassed. He was just glad that Ino wasn't presently in the room.

Tenten's eyes widened at the box, knowing what must be inside. "You didn't." she gasped.

Nodding Neji opened the box. He had wanted to get her a ring, and he decided better late than never. It was only right that she have one. And he was eager to give it to her that he had to find her and he didn't want to wait.

Tenten gasped again looking at the ring. It was perfect for her. Nice and simple on a silver band. A small square emerald dazzled up at her, twinkling in her eyes. It was small and it was perfect, nothing too fancy or big. Despite its size it just screamed out at her.

"Here." Neji picked up the ring and took her left hand, slipping the ring onto the girl's ring finger. It was a perfect fit.

Tenten forced her gaze away from the ring and to her fiancé. "Neji…thank you. Really." she breathed. She couldn't stop herself from hugging the boy and feeling immensely happy.

"My God you two are so cute!" Ino chanted from the kitchen archway. "But Neji, really haven't you learned to propose properly to a girl. You have to get down on your knee and ask her to marry you before you even think of putting the ring on her finger!" the pregnant woman instructed, a wet wooden spoon being flung around with her crazy arm movements. "Honestly." She rolled her eyes and disappeared into the kitchen once more.

Tenten shook her head and noticed Neji's glare in the blonde's direction. "Ignore her. Pregnancies can really mess up a woman's mind." she said. Neji knew she was correct.

"Tenten, I also have something to tell you." He said and took a seat on the couch. He patted the space beside him and the girl sat down. She faced him, waiting to hear what he had to say. "My orientation is in two weeks. Of course you will be there, and anyone else I choose to invite. But also," he said. "it is there that we will be announcing our engagement."

She didn't know what she felt at first. Nervous, excited, scared? She didn't know. But the day was going to come sooner or later and she knew it was for the best. She was just still nervous around his family. The last impression they got of her wasn't great and she wasn't sure if they liked her.

Smiling, she assented. "Of course."

Neji nodded back a very small smile on his lips. So it was settled. He was suddenly drawn to her, his body seemed to work on it's own as he caught her lips in a gentle kiss. He wasn't used to kissing, but honestly he liked it. He felt more and more compelled to kiss the girl.

"You two better get your asses in here and get your own lunches before I eat it all!"

**-------------------------**

She was grumpy. Grumpy as can be. And despite not getting a good amount of sleep, she found that it didn't affect her in anyway. She wanted to keep working, despite her lack of chakra. She didn't need chakra for everything. But Tsunade had forced her to go home. Physically forced her by pushing her out the hospital and shouting at her through the closed door. Sakura looked at her teacher yelling through the glass window, her eyes half closed. She was mentally exhausted, but not tired.

"Sakura!" Mm, people. Just what she _didn't_ want.

She didn't turn around, intentionally she kept walking. She wasn't in the mood to mind her manners.

"Sakura!" they called again. She knew the voice, and no she didn't want to spend time with Ino. She would just tell him she was on her way home to sleep if he asked such a request.

"Haruno, it'd be best if you turned around." Oh, that was a new voice. It was familiar but she hadn't heard it in such a _long_ time. But it was true; she could never forget that voice. So did she ignore him, or turn around?

Though she didn't want to, she turned around. She was right in recognizing both of their voices. First was Shikamaru walking towards her, taking his sweet old time, hands in his pocket and he looked thoroughly disgruntled. Then, not too far behind him was someone she hadn't expected to see for a very long time. And she had never expecting to see him walking right up to her on the street. Especially here in Konoha.

"Shikamaru." She greeted. She then turned to the other person and bowed her head slightly. "Gaara-sama."

The pastel green eyes looked right through her. He looked taller than she remembered, and his hair seemed to have grown. It was still kept short, but it was longer than normal. His gourd was strapped to his back as though he were prepared for an attack at any moment.

Gaara nodded back.

Shikamaru spoke. "Do you know where Naruto is? We can't seem to find him." He said, sounding annoyed. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"No I haven't." she replied dully. "I haven't seen him since yesterday. Why do you need him?" she asked.

"Well, since I'm usually Temari's escort and she brought Gaara-sama along, I'm his escort around here as well. And he wanted to train with Naruto." Shikamaru said lazily.

Sakura nodded understanding. "He may be at Kakashi's. I'm going there if you want to walk with me." She knew that Naruto was practically living at Kakashi's now since she was there. He was at her side whenever he had the chance. Though it was slightly annoying she was comforted by his concern. She just wished that he didn't feel like he had to be connected to her at the hip.

Shikamaru turned around to Gaara. "You wouldn't be insulted if I left you to go with Sakura would you? I'm running a little late." he said, hoping the Kazekage wouldn't mind. Gaara shook his head no and stepped forward so he was standing by Sakura. "Alright. Then I'll see you both later." He said and turned around, appearing to be in no hurry to get back to work.

Sakura led the rest of the way to Kakashi's. It was silent, naturally because Gaara wasn't much of a speaker and she had nothing to say to him. Sure she was curious as to why he was here, but maybe it wasn't her business. She didn't feel like talking anyways. She felt the urge to work. Work, work, work. That's what her mind was saying. Maybe if Gaara and Naruto do go to train she'd tag along and wander off to do her own training.

When they reached the row of apartment buildings, Sakura's feet took her straight to her 'home.' That's what she declared the small cozy apartment. It was her second home. "He should be here." She spoke. "Was he at his home?" she then questioned, forgetting to ask.

"He wasn't. Nara thought it would be best to look a bit, or to find someone who might know. You happened to appear." He explained. It made sense to Sakura.

She gripped the doorknob to find it locked. That was strange, they usually only locked the door when no one was home. And of course she didn't have her key to the place on her. Fricken wonderful.

Sakura moved over to the small mailbox that hung on the side of the building next to door. There was always a spare key behind there. She reached her slim hand behind the box and found the object she wanted. She extracted the key and unlocked the door. After placing the key back she opened the door and stepped in, motioning for Gaara to follow her.

She knew the minute she set foot in the apartment that it was empty. No one was home and she had no idea where they could all be. "Uh, it appears that he's not here." she said. She had expected someone to be here, but then again the fact that no one was here didn't surprise her either. But normally they would leave her some kind of note or something. And when they did they usually left it…

Sakura walked into the kitchen and found on a pad of paper on the counter and note written in large, rushed handwriting. She identified the writing as Naruto's. There was no doubt. She walked over and scanned over the words, lucky that it was readable.

_Sakura-chan,_

_Ironically (_Sakura had no idea he even knew such a word_) the four of us, (me, Kakashi, Genma and Sai) were all assigned missions. Me, Kakashi, and Sai are going on a mission together and Genma went along with his own team on a separate one. We'll be home sometime late tonight. Take care._

_Love,_

_Naruto, Kakashi, Genma, and Sai. _

She couldn't believe that Tsunade had assigned all of them missions in the same day. What was she going to do with by herself. It was such a lonely thought and she didn't like it.

"Ahem." Clearing his throat behind her, Gaara appearing in the kitchen opening, waiting for her. "Is he here, or don't you know?" he asked.

Sakura had a blank stare on her face for a moment before shaking her head and setting the note back down on the counter. "No, he went on a mission. He won't be back until later tonight." She said.

"Wonderful." Gaara muttered almost mutely. "I guess I'll leave you then. The training grounds are to the south of here are they not?" The redhead asked as he began to walk back towards the front door.

Taking a moment to answer Sakura spoke, "Yeah. Ano…do you mind if I join you? Gaara-sama?" she didn't want to stay here by herself. And training would be a nice way to keep her mind clear. And training with the Kazekage was just as good as it was with Tsunade. Hokage Kazekage. They were near equal in strength. Maybe he could teach her something new?

"I don't mind." Gaara said.

"Thank you. If you don't mind, I would like to change first. A nurse's uniform is nothing to train in." she said and walked past him to Kakashi's room where her things were stored. She was grateful for Naruto and Sai who had gone to the manor and retrieved some of her belongings (including her kitten) for her. She wasn't ready to go back herself.

"Please don't take too long."

**---------**

"Tell me, just how long had you been working for before you came here with me?"

"A long time."

"That's not sufficient information. When you asked to join me with training I didn't expect for you to pass out from chakra depletion."

"Sorry Gaara-sama."

"…Do you mind being a bit less formal. It's not like we do not know each other."

"Sorry, is it uncomfortable?"

"Not really, I'm just so used to hearing people add the –sama to the end that it becomes a droning sound."

"Gaara-san. Is that better?"

"It will do."

"…Do you not like the respectable title?"

"It just makes me think that people suddenly think that I am better than them, which I am not. Just because I have a high title doesn't mean I am any better than the next person."

"I see."

"…"

"…"

"…are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you." _'He's so kind…'_

"You must work hard if you passed out so easily."

'_Alright, he's mostly kind.'_ "Working in a hospital can be quiet hectic."

"Mm."

"…"

"…"

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here in Konoha?"

"I was forced to. Temari and Kankuro both informed me plenty of times that I was working to hard for a man my age. Temari insisted that I come here with her for a few days and relax in the hot springs. I refused at first, but they were persistent. So…here I am."

"It must be nice to have family who cares for you so much."

"I can guarantee that your family cares for you deeply."

"I don't have family. Both my mother and father have been killed."

"What is your point?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your teammates are your family as well aren't they? I have been in contact with Naruto for a while now, and quiet often he talks of you. He loves you like any brother would."

"…I have always thought of them as my family but…"

"…?"

"They're not my family. I mean, not my blood family who raised me."

"…"

"…"

"I have always thought that family means someone who shares the same blood as you. But over the years I have learned new things. Family came be defined by someone who shares the same ancestors. Or they can be people who are not your blood relatives, but people who have always cared for you."

'_He's right.'_ "Then…I have the best family I could ask for."

"Want to trade?"

She laughed. _'Did he just make a joke? __**Gaara**__?' _"You've changed."

"I have learned to open up and express more emotions. You as well have changed."

"How so?"

"I can not pinpoint it exactly, but I can see a change. Although it doesn't seem positive. You're missing something aren't you?"

'_When did he become so insightful?' _"Uh…yeah."

"Ah, I see. Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up anything bad. If you're feeling better shall we continue training or would you like to rest?"

"…I'm feeling better. We just won't go too hard and I'll be ok."

He nodded.

She stood up after him. "Thank's Gaara-san."

**--------------**

"Before I kill you, why did you send your pathetic henchmen to get me?"

Black eyes looked back into crimson ones with an amused look. "It's simple really Sasuke-kun. I thought it would be obvious to you." A hand roughly grabbed his silver hair and yanked hard. "I wanted to make you suffer. I wanted to bring you back here and torture you. You killed my master, so I kill you."

"You really are pathetic. I always thought so." Sasuke shoved the man's head onto the hard, bloodstained floor bellow. "You're a freak you little bastard. I should have killed you a long time ago. I never knew you would turn out just as pathetic as Orochimaru had."

Kabuto was literally sitting in a pool of his own blood. He should have known this day would come. He had always expected to see the Uchiha again for one reason or another. Sure he was cut up with broken limbs and ruptured organs, he couldn't move to stand or fight any longer, and he had no chakra left to heal himself, but he still felt good. For some odd reason, he wasn't miserable that he was about to die.

Sasuke glared murderously into the snake like eyes. The pale white skin, the purple markings around his eyes, and those damn yellow snake eyes. They were the former appearances of Orochimaru, but now. Kabuto with his freakish mind had to infuse part of Orochimaru in himself. It disgusted Sasuke to no end and he was going to enjoy watching the life die from this eyes.

"Oh come on Sasuke-kun. You had to have had a better reason for killing me than for my devotion to Lord Orochimaru. Tell me, why did you come here?"

He wouldn't answer. This bastard didn't need to know anything about him.

"Could it be that you are trying to destroy your past? I heard that you killed Itachi…at least, you might have." Kabuto's smirk couldn't grown any further. He began to cough slightly, blood spilling from him mouth.

Sasuke's head whipped around and he suddenly picked Kabuto up by the collar of the shirt. "What the fuck do you mean?" he asked threateningly. He held the edge of his blade to Kabuto's throat, ready to slice at any moment.

"Oh, nothing at all. I'm still interested in why you came to kill me. It couldn't be pent up revenge instincts, they should have run out with Itachi. So what could it be? Perhaps it was the little girl I had ordered my men to capture. Did they hurt her Sasuke? You don't…_care_ for her do you? No, that's impossible." Kabuto was smug alright. He was asking for the blade to be driven into his wind pipe.

"You don't know a fucking thing. All I think now is that you need to die." Sasuke hissed and pressed his chokuto into the man's neck further, drawing blood.

"I never thought I'd see the day where cold, emotionless Uchiha fell in love. Heh, you think I'm pathetic." Kabuto said, his eyes narrowing. He could feel his body grow weary with the blood loss.

"Shut it. Shut the fuck up!" Sasuke growled. He couldn't let this affect him. His words were nothing, absolutely nothing. He knew nothing. And he wasn't pathetic. There was no way. He was doing this for a good reason. Who cares how he feels. Who cares about anything. So what if he…if he..

"Sasuke!" Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin had grouped together and ran into the room, watching as Sasuke very harshly threw Kabuto to the ground. With quick actions the blade of the chokuto was thrust into Kabuto's chest, causing him to gasp and more blood to spill from his mouth. Slowly his eyes began to close, the life fading away from them.

"Pathetic." Kabuto said at last, and promptly his body fell limp.

"So what if I love her?" Were Sasuke's last words to the man. He pulled his bloodied blade from the dead body and glared. Finally, he had done it. The man was dead, many of the sound ninja that he despised were dead.

But he didn't feel satisfied. He felt like something had gone unaccomplished.

"Karin?" Juugo had turned to watch the redhead turn and head for the exit.

"Don't wait up for me." She ground out. "And don't bother to look for me. This is where we say goodbye." She took one last look at each of them, her eyes lingering on Sasuke's the longest.

"Where are you going?" Suigetsu called after her but it was pointless. She was gone. "What the hell? Why did she just up and leave like that?" He wondered. It was strange that she would willingly leave them, and so suddenly. He was confused now and didn't know what to do. Who was going to cook for him now?

"Have you ever noticed that, whether her emotions for me were true or not, that she did possess feelings for me?" Sasuke asked. He began to walk away, still on his toes in case there was someone still around. He looked down at the long, deep gash that went across his right side. Kabuto had gotten one good hit on him at least.

Tearing off a portion of his shirt, Sasuke pressed it against his wound and applied pressure, ignoring the stinging pain. "And I have just admitted love for another woman. I never understood woman very well, but it obvious enough that she wishes not to be around me now."

"Doesn't mean she has to leave us. She helped take care of me and Juugo. What do we do with her gone?" Suigetsu said, throwing his tired arms in the air. He walked beside Sasuke and Juugo was just behind them.

Sasuke didn't have many solutions, but there was one he could think of. He was sure to be in huge trouble when he got back to his village, but they were accepting people. Or most of them were. And even if they were locked up in a jail cell, they had a place to stay. He just wouldn't tell them that.

"Would you be willing to come back to my village?" he asked. It was a strange request, especially since it was coming from Sasuke. It was expected of him to blow them off like he had last time (even if the last time wasn't entirely his fault. He never tried to go back and find them). And even if he didn't feel horrible about the thought of abandoning them, he felt obligated to repay them somehow. He could help them by establishing new lives in his village.

"You mean publicly?" Suigetsu asked. Sasuke nodded. The pale aqua haired man thought for a moment. No matter how tempting it sounded (the village hadn't been all that bad) the fact that people would know he was there was unsettling. He had lived as a rouge his whole life. And there would be consequences he didn't want to deal with if he went there.

"Thanks for the offer, but nah. It's tempting but I like living as a free man. I think I'm going to have a go at searching for the other members of the seven swordsmen." Suigetsu flashed a smile, showing off his teeth.

Sasuke turned to Juugo. The man looked between them both, unsure of where he should go. He hadn't ever thought of the group splitting up and suddenly, he didn't know what he should do. "Thank you for the offer Sasuke," he said. "but I think I will have to decline."

Sasuke nodded once more. "It's not like we wouldn't want to come." Suigetsu continued on. "But…you have a life man. One that we were never supposed to be a part of. You have a clan to rebuild right? And you have someone to do that with. We can't have you worrying about us. Juugo can come with me. It's lonely traveling by yourself. And don't worry about Karin."

"I'm not worried."

"She can take care of herself. So, you go back to your village. If they still want you." The man said smirking. He began to walk away with Juugo at his side. Before long they both disappeared and Sasuke couldn't feel their chakra anymore. They were gone.

Making the appropriate hand signs, Sasuke performed the teleportation jutsu and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Moments later he was standing just outside of the woods that overlooked the sound village. He could rest a bit easier now. Knowing that one person that was after him was gone.

But he couldn't sleep fully at peace. What Kabuto said now plagued his mind. _"I heard that you killed Itachi…at least, you might have." _What did he mean by that? There was no way that Itachi was still alive. He had killed him. By his own hands, his brother was dead. Kabuto had to have been playing with him? Last minute trickery to ruin his life even more. There was no possible way. He wouldn't believe it. His problems were gone. The dead bastard was just a liar.

Sasuke only had one thing left to do. Now since he had finally confessed it to himself, he was sure of his feelings. He loved Sakura. It was a strange thing that he was admitting, but he couldn't deny that the confession made him feel better. Just setting everything straight and finally knowing the truth. But he had a lot to fix now. He could only imagine how Sakura was feeling now. How broken she was, how destroyed and un-fixable she was. He had to get back to the village, he had to set everything right.

He had left her those two items. Hopefully she would still accept him. Though he had high doubts about that.

Slowly, the sun began to sink down over the horizon in a flash of pinks, golds, oranges, and reds. Nighttime was already approaching. It had only seemed like a few minutes ago that he was meeting with his old team in the dark streets. But that had been almost a whole day ago. This day had been tiring, and he needed to find a safe place to heal his wounds.

For now he would rest and heal. Then as soon as he could, he would return back to the village.

Back to his newfound love.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**-Takes in a deep breath- Well this chapter came out better than the last one. I go back to school tomorrow, but I will try my hardest to update as fast as I can. **

**And review! I loved the large amount I got last time. And see how soon you got your chapter! Your reviews work! Thanks for the inspiration. **


	37. I sentence you

**Well, this is coming along great. Trust me, there is plenty of this story left for all of you to endure. It's not even close to being done!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. Sadly.**

**Haha, it brings absolute glee in my heart that so many of you are in favor for the Jiraiya/Tsunade pairing. Because I'm so happy, I'll see if I can find a way to imply it, though I can't guarantee that it will be in this chapter. **

**The song I used is 'Never too late' by Three Days Grace. I highly recommend that you listen to the song through the whole chapter. Just keep it on repeat ;P. So pull out that i-pod or bring up your iTunes and listen!**

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* * *

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**I sentence you…**

* * *

**---------------------------**

_Two weeks since Sasuke killed Kabuto_

**---------------------------**

"How has Naruto been doing?"

Turning around, the former Hokage of the village smiled. "Not horrible. It could be worse I guess. Shizune is with him right now, helping him out. He's been doing okay so far."

Sakura frowned, her leg bouncing on the floor anxiously. Tsunade had forced her to take a break and she was just too eager to work. She held the cup of tea between her hands, the cup half full. "Just okay? He hasn't done anything wrong has he? Does he need more help? He's not destroying this place is he?"

"Sakura, calm down. We're talking about a boy who is going from missions to sitting at a desk and filling out papers. He's been talking to the Kazekage and asking him for advice. I can tell he's nervous, but I think he's more excited than anything." Sakura didn't look assured that Naruto was doing fine with his job. She was worried about him, more than she should be. "More importantly, how have you been?"

Sakura stared hard into her tea cup. She knew the truth, but she didn't want to show her distress. That was her plan; don't let anyone know just how bad she was feeling. She kept a busy body act on the outside, working and training harder than ever to make people think that she was just very occupied in her work. Inside she was a jumbled mess. Nothing was set right, everything was broken. But she wouldn't let anyone in on that. She would keep up her little charade for who knows how long.

"I've been alright." she answered half-heartedly. She never looked up at her teacher but knew that the expression on the older woman face couldn't be good. She knew that it would be more convincing to smile at Tsunade, but her lips wouldn't curve upwards.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I don't believe you." She said. "Sakura it's been nearly a month since he's gone. You've changed and something is still wrong. Talk to me."

Sakura didn't know how to answer now. She really just wished that everyone would stop fussing over her so much. It made her feel like a child who couldn't care for herself. Did she really look that down? Sure she could smile more often, but that just wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

"There isn't much to say you know." The pink haired medic said miserably. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, elbows sinking onto the tabletop. "I mean, what are you supposed to feel after being used? Having someone you love just up and leave after you thought things were getting better? I think I'm acting appropriately."

True, she was acting appropriately. And most people responded to these types of things differently. Some just broke down, refused to communicate and locked themselves away from the world. Some became angry, blowing up over any little thing. Or some acted as Sakura was, working their butts off to keep occupied.

"I can't help but be worried Sakura. I knew that this would affect you but I don't know the extent of anything. I want to help but you're making it hard! Don't tell me everything is okay when I know very well that it's not!" Tsunade couldn't keep her voice down and she didn't care if she caught the attention from anyone in the hallways. She was getting frustrated by the girl's stubborn behavior and she was determined to get answers. As she looked upon her students face she could easily see that she was not going to get an answer. Her face was nearly unreadable, but Tsunade could see some for of guilt.

Sakura pushed her tea away, loosing all interest in finishing it. "I have to get back to work." She mumbled quietly and stood up, hurrying out the door.

The door slammed hard behind Tsunade but the woman never flinched. She glared sadly at the half drunk cup and sighed. Nothing seemed to go right in the girl's life. She had been through so much; it seemed like a miracle that she was even still standing. She wondered, what gave that girl the willpower to even get out of bed each day? It was unbelievable how strong she was mentally, but suddenly there were cracks forming. And the blonde didn't know what she could use to fix them. How long could Sakura really go on for?

Standing up in defeat she knew she couldn't ignore her own work either. She opened the door and walked back into the busy halls of the hospital, mind too clouded to think of anything she was supposed to do, too clouded to see the brunette running up to her in a hurry.

**------------**

"After you finish this Naruto-sama, we have to prepare more missions to assign." Shizune said as she filed more papers that now bared Naruto's signature. It wasn't the neatest, but it was legible.

Naruto let out a long breath, set his pen down and shook his right hand a bit. It ached slightly and he wanted all of the papers to disappear. It had been just over a week since he started working and he was amazed by all of the papers he had to sign. He had been so happy at the initiation ceremony, but then he hadn't known the extent of work he had to do. It was tiring. How were the Kage's able to this?

"Oi, can't we take a break. This is killing my hand." He complained, his head thumping down into the desk. Gaara had warned him about the paper work. He had just laughed and said that the redhead was delusional, but now he wasn't laughing. Gaara had glared at him and walked off, but now he could mock the blonde all he wanted. He was always right.

"You've have three breaks today already. And it's only ten thirty." Shizune said and took the new freshly signed papers. "You were warned that this wouldn't be easy Naruto-sama."

Naruto's nose scrunched up cutely at the suffix at the end of his name. It was absolutely strange to hear, it had a foreign sound to it. "You don't have to add the –sama. It sounds weird." He commented and began to read over the last document. A proposition to start a Kunoichi's Association. Heh, sounded like something Anko would write out for. Eh, what harm could come from it?

As he started to sign the paper and knock sounded at the closed door. Both occupants of the room stared at the door for a moment. "Come in." Naruto spoke in an authoritative voice, something he had recently picked up. He really did love the feeling of power that the had. Though that wasn't his main goal as Hokage, it was a nice touch.

The door began to swing open and the first thing Naruto saw was three men. All three, he knew personally. He noticed their positioning, the one in the middle seemed to be being held tight by the other two at his sides. His head was down, he had never looked at Naruto and his bangs fell in front of his face.

Kakashi was the first to speak. "We found something when we were up at the Uchiha estate."

Genma yanked on the captives arm. "We went to find a medical textbook that Sakura had left there, after she asked Kakashi to get it nearly two weeks ago." He sent a half glare in the jounin's direction. "But yes, this is what we found."

Naruto gave the last man one of the coldest looks he had given anyone. The hate that had been building up within him seemed to start to leak out. He wanted to bitch the man out, to scream at him and make him feel the suffering others had felt since he had gone. It was a hot pool in his stomach that continually built up and he could felt the pure hate course through his veins.

He didn't know what to say. Only venomous words formed on his tongue. But rather he didn't know what to do. "Sasuke." He breathed, now hating that he had to be put in position to make the decision. The man deserved a good punishment. He couldn't be let off as easy as he was last time. That obviously hadn't taught him anything. So what was he to do? How was he supposed to sentence the man who was supposed to be his best friend?

Upon hearing his name the raven haired one looked up. If he was surprised to see Naruto sitting behind the desk then he didn't show it. His face was blank and pale. He looked sickly in a way, not like his usual self. It was apparent that he needed medical attention, and to Naruto that came first. Help, then punishment.

Shizune had obviously noticed the same thing, her medic instincts kicking in. She was looking at Sasuke with a worried expression and her finger itched to help him. Naruto glanced over at the woman briefly. "Shizune, can you ask Baa-chan to prepare a room for the Teme?" Despite his will to help the man, the words had a nasty bite to them.

"Hai." She replied quickly and dashed out the door without another word.

Naruto glared heatedly in Sasuke's direction. "Where have you been asshole!" he finally shouted, not able to keep everything inside any longer. He was furious, beyond that. This bastard hurt his precious Sakura-chan and dear Kami would he pay. Leaving without a word? Did he think he was a God or something, someone who could do as he please and never thought that he would get in trouble?

Sasuke tugged his arms out of Kakashi and Genma's grips then crossed them over his chest. He glared at the floor at the stock of books that had yet to be moved for Tsunade. He was having a hard time registering that it was the kid sitting in the chair and not the old hag. Had he really been gone for that long? Whatever, that wasn't the matter at hand. He was back and he had one thing he wanted to do.

"Where's Sakura?" he asked in a harsh, weak voice that sounded nothing like him. Naruto gave him a curious look when he heard the tone. How sick was this guy?

"No." Surprising, Naruto hadn't opened his mouth. Instead it was the brown haired man who said this. Genma bit down on the senbon in his mouth, determined not to shove it through the man's ear. He glared furiously at him, holding onto whatever control he had left. "I'm sure she doesn't want to see you, and personally I don't want you to."

Sasuke scoffed at the man's possessiveness. Who was he to decide anything? Up to this point, Sasuke was still confused about the relationship between Genma and Sakura. "You're not in any position to decide if I can see her." He said heatedly.

"I have every damn right!" Genma shouted. Kakashi made a smart move and stepped between the two others, trying to prevent punches from being thrown.

"Genma calm down." He said calmly. His friend looked at him, as if he had been betrayed.

"Come one Kakashi! You've seen how Sakura's been; there is no way you wouldn't want to kill him!" He argued. He wanted, so badly, to hurt the Uchiha. To bring him immense pain so that he could feel only a sliver of what Sakura has felt. He wanted the man to live in anguish, just to pay the price.

"Kill is taking it a bit far Genma." Kakashi said. "But I do believe that he deserves some punishment for the pain he has invoked. But punishment," the man said, now turning his head up to the new Rokudaime, "isn't for us to decide."

Naruto glared at the desk, his head in his hands. What was he to do now? Sasuke demanded to see Sakura. Of course he would allow that unless Sakura truly wanted to talk to him. Then there was the fact that he had to punish his 'best friend.' How was anyone supposed to do that?

Suddenly the blonde's fists slammed down onto the desk, causing papers to rustle and his pen to roll off the side. He didn't bother to pick it up. "Damnit Sasuke." He hissed angrily. His mind was jumbled and he could think of what to do. He needed help, but he wasn't getting any. Then again, he was the Hokage. He had to do this, with or without help.

The door opened, no knocking necessary. Tsunade strode in with a face that said it all. She was in the mood to _kill_. She walked right past the three men and they could all swear that there was an unnatural chill when she walked by. All three looked off in different directions.

"Finally decided to show up?" she asked, not facing any of them. She stared out the window, her face hard, and her hands behind her back, fingers gently laced together. She received no reply, something she expected.

Tsunade turned around. "Where the hell did you go Uchiha, and you better have a good excuse!"

At first Sasuke said nothing and the room fell silent, everyone else waited impatiently to hear what he had to say. If he had anything to say. Sasuke knew that he was in dangerous territory now. How would they react if he told them his story though? Would they believe him? He was doing this for Sakura, and he knew she would get hurt. He didn't intend to hurt her, just protect her. But would they take that as a valid excuse?

"Out." He stated simply.

"Bastard! That's not what we want to know! You have a good reason for leaving for a month! Where were you?" Naruto shouted, standing up from his chair.

Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh. That would make things even worse. They would think he didn't care about anything. Really, he would tell them all eventually but at the moment he wanted to talk to Sakura. Fix things that he knew needed to be mended.

So he kept shut.

The room filled with silence. Multiple eyes glared at Sasuke who stared at the floor before him. He had no desire to start a glare war with anyone. He felt horrible at the moment, weaker than he normally felt. He knew there was something wrong with him and the wound that Kabuto had inflicted on him was infected. He hadn't taken care of it properly. He was swaying on his feet slightly.

Naruto slowly inched back down into his chair. He had finally, after glaring at Sasuke for so long, remembered that the man needed medical attention. "Go get healed at the hospital and we'll talk later. If Sakura allows you to talk to her, she's more than likely there." He said grumpily, once again setting his head on his hand. "Ne, Baa-chan?"

Icily, Tsunade nodded. "I'll take him there." She said coldly and walked forward towards the door.

"I'll join you. I'll take Sakura home. She never came back last night, so I'm sure she needs to rest." That plus the fact that he had to make sure Sasuke got to the hospital still alive. Whether he dropped dead (which he was sure Tsunade would just leave him on the side of the road if he did) or if the woman inflicted any causes of death upon him, he wanted to be there to stop it.

**--------------**

Sakura was a busy body, constantly on the move throughout the hospital. Checking on patients, helping the other nurses, taking short breaks so she could grab a quick cup of coffee from the break room or steal a sugar and carb induced snack from the vending machine. She couldn't stop, no matter what her body said to her.

So when she found Kakashi walking up to her, strangely, in the hallways she knew that the answer she was going to give him would obvious be a 'no.'

"Sakura." The man said when he had reached her. She had a half eaten energy bar in one hand and her clipboard in another. "You really should come home with me and rest."

Obvious. "No." she said, trying not to sound bratty or selfish. She was doing this for herself, working for herself. Keeping her mind set and free from horrible intruding thoughts.

"Well, at least come with me. Someone wants to talk to you. He's getting treated, but I'm sure you can step in." the jounin looked at her intently, waiting to see if she would go with him or turn around claiming she was too busy to visit someone.

Hesitantly she took a step in his direction. "Who?" she asked.

Knowing she wouldn't react well if he told her, he simply said, "A friend."

Sakura looked at his back suspiciously. Kakashi came to get her to see a friend? That was unreal, especially if it was any of her friends. And if it was Naruto or Sai he would say so. So who could he mean? Who was waiting in one of the rooms, wanting to talk to her?

She had a good idea though. And no, she didn't want to see him. But she had to. She had to face him because they always said;

you have to face your fears to get over them.

Still, she knew that there was that chance that it wasn't him. And again she couldn't imagine who it could be. What if something bad happened? What if they were horribly injured or deathly sick all of a sudden? The thought made her cringe inwardly, not liking to think of any of her friends hurt.

They reached the room and Kakashi stopped. He stepped to the side, allowing Sakura to walk in first. But the girl hesitated. She peeked in through the small window of the door but couldn't see who was in the bed due to the nurse blocking her view. It took a few moments in which Sakura was growling in her head for the woman to move. Then the nurse did move and she could see his unhappy face perfectly clear.

And then it all went out the door. Facing your fears be damned! She could feel her emotions lump up in her throat. Her stomach tightened and she felt relived, yet at the same time angry as hell. She twisted the sapphire engagement ring that sat on her pink uncomfortably. She didn't want to go in there. She couldn't face him just yet. She wasn't ready; she had no time to prepare herself. To make sure she was mentally prepared.

Slowly she backed away from the door. "I can't." she whispered pathetically. She wanted to turn, to run off. Cold chills washed over her, freezing her from the inside out. "I don't want to see him."

Kakashi had expected two things. The first would be this kind of reaction, her unwillingness to talk to him. The other was her storming right into the room and beating the shit out of him. "You really should Sakura. This is something you have to do." He spoke in a fatherly tone. He knew she wouldn't listen, but there was no point in not trying. He did truly believe that she should talk to him. Either solve things between them or move on.

"I can't Kakashi." She whispered again. No tears were forming in her eyes but the way her voice sounded, you would think she was already crying. She turned to face the man, giving him a pleading look. "I'll go home with you now, just don't make me go in there." She pleaded. She didn't want to see him.

Sighing loudly, Kakashi inclined his head slightly. "Alright Sakura. But at some point you are going to have to talk to him."

Sakura nodded in a silent agreement and began to walk off, not liking the feeling of being so close to him. She couldn't believe it though. He had come back.

For once, he kept his promise.

**--------**

It had been two days since Sasuke's arrival. Sakura hadn't been seen around the hospital which came to many of the nurse's surprise. It was strange not having the pink haired girl taking over their duties and skipping out on work. She had been a workaholic this past month, so her absence became something to talk about.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had the okay to leave the hospital. He simply had gotten sick because of the infected wounds. After being observed for any other problems and taking plenty of antibiotics he was allowed to leave.

Grumpily he had sat up in his bed and thrown the sheets off of himself. He still hadn't talked to Sakura and it frustrated him. Time was being wasted and whenever he had asked for her, no one would say anything.

"I'll escort you to Hokage-sama's office." Shizune said with a nervous glance towards him. She felt uneasy being around the Uchiha by herself. His blank expression was uncomfortable, though not creepy like Sai's. She could tell he was not at all happy, but she had never really seen him in a good mood.

When they were walking down the hallways towards the office, loud voices could be heard, progressively getting louder as they approached the door. Shizune sighed when she heard that one of the voices belonged to her former teacher. She hadn't been keeping tract of the woman like she should be, and it seemed that she was going to have to up the monitoring.

She knocked on the door, loudly so it was able to be heard, but with a gentle force that abided to her nature. She was a soft spoken woman and her actions reflected on that.

The door was opened and a smirking Jiraiya stepped aside so that the two could enter. Once Shizune moved past the man she was greeted with the sight of Naruto, his head on the desk with both of his hands covering it, and Tsunade, over towering him with her fists shaking.

"They're having…punishment discussions." Jiraiya said. Walked over to his old teammate and took hold of her shaking fists, forcing it out of the balled up position and willing her to calm down. "We have company." He said to her.

Looking up, her face flushed, she narrowed her eyes, and she pouted slightly. Her teeth were clenched together and she stiffly moved away from the desk and over to the window.

Naruto picked his head up. His eyes looked tired and worn out. He was confused as to what to do at the moment when he saw Sasuke. He knew he had to do it, but it just seemed like too much. What Tsunade had suggested was going a bit over the top, but then again, it seemed reasonable. Even though Naruto was pissed at Sasuke for everything he had done, he was still his friend whether Sasuke thought so or not.

"_Don't go easy on him because he's your friend Naruto!"_

Tsunade had shouted that at him. And he knew she was right. He couldn't let any bonds get in the way of his decision. He just wasn't ready yet though. He needed more time to think. And they still needed the whole story from Sasuke.

Looking up, Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's briefly. At that moment, he could have sworn he saw something different about Sasuke. He couldn't pinpoint it, but there was just something. The look wasn't cold, or not as cold as it used to be. There was something, some light in his eye.

The blonde's stomach clenched in discomfort.

"You can either tell us what happened right here, or I'm sending you in for interrogation." He growled as his eyes wandered off to the two pictures on his desk. The old team seven and the new. It made him wonder why he had such a dysfunction team. They weren't kooky like team Gai. Instead they were the broken team, the heartbroken team that just couldn't seem to get anything right in their personal lives.

There was a long pause. Shizune had long since left, having to go back to work for herself and filling in for Tsunade. The latter was glaring at the avenger, her arms crossed and her hands gripping dangerously at the skin on her arms. She felt tense as can be and was keeping herself in check, knowing that killing Sasuke wouldn't make anything better. She knew Naruto would go soft on the man, but she didn't agree to it. He had deliberately broken her rules, left the village illegally, and had hurt her student. The girl she had come to think of as her own.

Jiraiya could feel the angry pulse in Tsunade's chakra. He had his hand on the small of her back, moving it gently in a soothing motion. Though his face was hard, his eyes narrowed in Sasuke's direction. He didn't know Sasuke personally, but there was no mistake about it. He could see his last teammate in the man. The eyes that had once held nothing but drive for power. The act of doing whatever he could to gain said power. Leaving the village and calling his home pathetic. He didn't like it once bit.

Sasuke knew it was time. "Fine." He spoke finally. Smoothly, without hitch he relayed his story, his purpose for leaving, to kill Kabuto. He said nothing about wanting to protect Sakura, knowing that they would roll their eyes and say he was just a liar. He informed them that the man was indeed dead, and that he was one less problem to deal with.

None of their looks changed besides the fact that Naruto was now looking at him. He finished off on a note of finality and then closed his mouth, having nothing more to say.

It took a good couple of minutes, the new information registering in each other their heads. "Why didn't you tell us this before?" Naruto asked in a hushed tone.

Not having an answer, Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

"So…Kabuto is dead." Tsunade stated flatly. His eyes trailed down off of Sasuke and to the floor where they zoned out of reality. Sasuke said nothing.

Unable to take it, Naruto reacted by shouted randomly. "You make this so difficult!" Now how was he supposed to punish the man knowing he did something that was beneficial?

"Sasuke, you never stated why you had gone to kill Kabuto." Jiraiya said, finally responding.

"He had sent those men who attacked Sakura so they could find me. He obviously wanted me for something, so instead of having trouble caused for the village I went to him. It seemed that he had planed on killing me, but I turned the tables on him."

It was half true and believable.

The Rokudaime was finally fed up. "Teme I have no idea what to do with you! How can I trust you? You had said you wouldn't leave, but you defiled Baa-chan's orders and left anyways! There is no trust there! How do I know you aren't going to run out? Obviously your word won't account for it! And what will you do now? How can I be sure that you won't run out to escape punishment? How can I be sure that you won't run out every time that there is a threat to you?

"And you don't think do you? What about how you leaving will affect those around you! The people who care for you? Sakura-chan teme! You have no idea what she's been like! I swear she's like a zombie! She works and barely talks! It's your fault bastard! You did this!"

His breathing was harsh and he had knocked his chair over when he stood up. His fists were balled, his nails digging into his palm hard enough to draw blood. He had to control his anger though. If he got to angry, then the Kyuubi will begin to leak out, taking advantage of his state of mind.

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to walk right out of the room. Naruto had hit the nail on the head, every word making its mark. He was right and there was no point in denying it.

"I have no choice." Naruto said his voice now calm with lingering venom. It quavered slightly with the next few words, sounding as though he wanted to cry. "Sasuke, you are to be kept locked up in the police headquarters prison until I have called for you to trial."

And that was his final word.

**--------------**

Genma gently opened the door to Kakashi's room, seeing the small lump hidden beneath the covers. Despite the time of the day (nearing nighttime) he had a mission to leave on soon. His team would be gone for a long time and he wanted to make sure that he saw Sakura before he left, whether she was awake or not.

He pushed past the door and quietly crept into the room. The poor girl had been in bed for half the day, just sleeping or staring blankly at the ceiling. Or she would keep herself busy with a textbook, practicing techniques that she found in there.

He sat on the edge of the bed, right where he knees bent. He knew that she wasn't fully asleep. He smiled and brushed the hair from her face. She had to have been having a good dream because there was a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. With a gentle voice he cooed out to her. "Hey."

She didn't move at first.

"Sakura." He shook her shoulder a bit.

She began to stir, groaning from being disturbed. Her emerald eyes opened, blinking a few times as the remaining sleeping sand fell.

"I have a mission to go on. I won't be back for a while." He said. That caught the girl's attention and she sat up. "You'll be okay with just Kakashi here with you?"

She didn't say a word nor did she nod.

Genma frowned. He could help but worry about her. He had grown to love the girl like a little sister. He hated how she had been over the past month and he couldn't do anything but be there for her. But for him, it just wasn't enough.

He dared to ask, wanting to have a serious talk with her before he left, "You haven't talked to Sasuke have you?"

She shook her head no, sinking back further under the covers. Genma chuckled and pulled the sheets back down. "Well, no matter how much I hate to say it, you really should. Even if you don't want to." His voice level dropped. "Even if it hurts Sakura, it would be for the best. Shizune told me he kept asking for you."

She still didn't utter a word, having nothing to say that responded to his suggestion. Still, she knew he was right.

Genma leaned down and kissed the girl's cheek. "Just try it, please. I hate seeing you so down because of a guy. And you might want to do something before I wring his neck." He chuckled softly and stood up off the bed. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Just as he was about to leave her voice reached out to him. "Please be careful."

**----------**

He had been stripped down, checked over for any weaponry, had a drab grey prison uniform shoved at him, had a chakra suppression bracelet slapped on his wrist, and was led, in a pair of handcuffs to his cell.

He felt weak, he felt horrible, and he felt like a real criminal. What shocked him the most was that the one person he had considered a friend had put him there. He knew he deserved punishment, but he had never expected this.

Four days after Sasuke had been placed in jail he could already feel his sanity run thin. Possibly from his cellmate who had the constant need to announce his presence with boisterous words. He, like Sasuke, was awaiting trial for something Sasuke hadn't bothered to listen to. He simply lied on his bed facing the wall and willed his self to drown out the annoying voice.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Great, what did they want from him now? Weren't they were making him miserable enough? Perhaps it was to announce his trial date. He didn't bother to move and he heard the clang of keys as the door was unlocked and opened.

"You have a visitor. Come with me." The guard said his voice deep and coarse. Sasuke rolled over and stood up off the bed. He was put into handcuffs and taken from his cell. He had no idea who had come to visit him. And at this point he was too miserable to care.

He was led through the hallways and to a room that they used for visitors. Here, they allowed the inmates and the visitors their own space to talk face-to-face under heavy supervision from the side walls. Tables were lined up for the people to sit. There were a few occupants already.

The cuffs were taken off of Sasuke when he and the large guard were in the room. The guard pocketed the handcuffs and directed Sasuke in the direction of someone sitting alone at the end of one of the tables.

Sasuke sat down across from his visitor, his face hard. "You two have fifteen minutes." The guard said to them both. "No shouting, no foul language, and no physical contact." He gave Sasuke a look and back away to stand guard at the door with his partners.

Sasuke looked forward at Sakura who was pointedly avoiding his gaze. She looked down at her hands that were laced together rather than his eyes. "I heard you wanted to talk to me." She said very quietly.

Up until now, Sasuke had never thought of what he was going to say to her. He had always been concerned with seeing her. He knew he had to tell her of his feelings, but he found it hard to come right out a say it. Even if he was a direct action person, he couldn't find it within himself to do it. And he had to fix this problem, the one that he started.

Unknowingly, his eyes had been focused on the ring on her pinky. "You kept it." He said as his eyes burned into the ring. That was a good sign at least.

Sakura followed his look to the ring and placed her hands flat against the table. "Yes."

Words failed them both now, and the awkwardness of the silence made Sakura begin to doubt about coming here.

_This world will never be  
What I expected  
And if I don't belong  
Who would have guessed it  
_

"Sakura," Sasuke began, not able to take the silence. It was nice after staying with his cellmate, but between him and Sakura it was a sign that nothing was being accomplished. "I know it isn't enough, but I'm sorry about leaving." The words sounded unusual coming from his mouth but he pressed on, not caring. "I know I hurt you, but I had a reason for leaving. I was just trying to keep you safe."

All senses returned to Sakura and she felt the hot anger flood her body. "Safe?" she snorted. "Safe? I sure as hell felt safe coming home to an empty house!" her words were quite yet sharp. "You left me alone for my own good, yet it did more damage than you had expected I'm sure."

_I will not leave alone  
Everything that I own  
To make you feel like it's not too late  
It's never too late_

Sasuke bowed his head very slightly. Just like Naruto days before, her words were perfect. They were right. He had no excuse. "I know. But I couldn't help the feeling of insecurity. I wanted to hurt the ones who hurt you and at the same time keep you safe. Sakura I…"

_Even if I say  
It'll be alright  
Still I hear you say  
You want to end your life  
Now and again we try  
To just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it around  
'Cause it's not too late  
It's never too late_

"I just don't understand though. I thought everything was better between us. I thought you were actually starting to…to like me. Maybe I was just stupid? I don't know anymore, but you just up and left without a word." her voice shook but she refused to sound weak. She refused to shed anymore tears for him. It just wouldn't happen. He didn't deserve any tears.

_No one will ever see  
This side reflected  
And if there's something wrong  
Who would have guessed it_

"I understand. I'm sorry okay?"

_And I have left alone  
Everything that I own  
To make you feel like  
It's not too late  
It's never too late_

She glared at him. "Sorry doesn't cut it. You have no idea how bad you hurt me. You don't deserve to be forgiven Sasuke!" Her voice was louder than she meant for it to be.

Sasuke could feel the eyes of the guard glaring daggers at his back. He didn't care if they were louder than they should be. Screw the rules.

"Sakura, listen to me. I'm sorry for what I've done. I just want to fix this alright. I didn't mean to hurt you as badly as I have. I mean why would I purposely hurt the one I love?"

Sakura looked to be in shock. Her mouth hung open slightly. Her eyes were wide and she didn't know how to respond. "W-what?" she couldn't believe what he had just said.

_Even if I say  
It'll be alright  
Still I hear you say  
You want to end your life  
Now and again we try  
To just stay alive_

"Sakura, I love you."

_Maybe we'll turn it around  
'Cause it's not too late  
It's never too late_

Sakura backed her chair away from the table slightly and gave Sasuke a look of curiosity mixed with confusion. "Why are you saying that Sasuke? You don't love me." She shook her head.

He had never predicted this reaction from her. "I do Sakura. I didn't realize it until recently, but I really do love you." He sounded out of character with his somewhat pleading tone of voice. He was begging her to believe him.

_The world we knew  
Won't come back  
The time we've lost  
Can't get back  
The life we had  
Won't be ours again_

"No. You're just saying that. The Sasuke I know isn't capable of loving anyone, especially me. Onegai…Sasuke, please stop trying to use me." Now she sounded like she wanted to cry. She was confused from the sudden behavior. Though he seemed sincere with his words she was having a hard time in believing them.

_This world will never be  
What I expected  
And if I don't belong_

_Even if I say  
It'll be alright  
Still I hear you say  
You want to end your life  
Now and again we try  
To just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it around  
'Cause it's not too late  
It's never too late_

Suddenly she stood up from the table. "I should go." She said rushed. Before turning to leave she said, "Your trial has been scheduled. It's in six days." She said breathlessly and took her leave quickly.

Sasuke sat at the table and watched her leave, her pink hair swinging down her back as she walked with hurried steps to leave. He couldn't believe that she didn't believe him. It shouldn't shock him as bad as it did. She had valid reasons not to believe him, but he had never thought of it. She had always seemed to be the type to openly accept any form of love he showed. And him pledging his newfound love should have her jumping for joy!

Gruffly, the guard shuffled towards him taking the handcuffs out.

But Sasuke wasn't ready to leave. He wanted Sakura to come back. He wanted her to run back to him, to return to his arms and for everything to go back to how they were supposed to be. He really had fucked up this time and now it seemed like change for the better was impossible.

_Maybe we'll turn it around  
'Cause it's not too late  
It's never too late (It's never too late)  
It's not too late  
It's never too late_

**------------**

Six days later Sasuke found himself standing before his friend in a small court room. The room was empty aside for Kakashi, Sakura, Sai, and Tsunade, all out of their normal ninja attire and dressed appropriately. Usually they had a judge for court issues, but Naruto insisted that he did this. He made the decision and he wanted to announce it.

Sakura sat between Sai and Kakashi, gripping both of their hands tightly. She was having trouble getting over Sasuke's confession and she could feel the pain in her heart as she watched the love of her life being sentenced.

Naruto choked down the rancid feeling in his throat as he announced the punishment. His hands reached for the small gabble the resided on the judge's desk before him. After his announcement he slammed it down.

"Uchiha Sasuke. You are being sentenced for defiling the Godaime's orders and taking an illegal leave from the village. How do you plead?" he said professionally. Despite the professionalism, the raw emotion leaked out with his words and it was obvious he was having a hard time.

Sasuke said that one word. "Guilty."

Sakura suddenly gripped Kakashi and Sai's hands even harder.

"Then I herby sentence you to three months confinement in the police task force prison."

**BANG.**

* * *

**So how do you like it? I think I did a pretty good job! It came out how I wanted. Now keep reading to find out what is in store for everyone!**


	38. Month one

**Everyone, I would just like you to know that I have started a new SasuSaku fanfic. It's called Shadow of my Heart and you can find it in my profile. It's an AU Vampire fic! Please tell me what you think. The prologue is kinda slow but I'm working on the next chapter!**

* * *

_Month One_

* * *

"It gives me much pride to announce this finally. I announce now, my nephew, Hyuuga Neji, the new Head of the Hyuuga family." 

Hiashi bowed to Neji as applause erupted from the room. Many Hyuuga family members, main and branch, as well as the group that Neji had invited all clapped for the new Head. Despite the time of celebration, some of them clapped half-heartedly.

Numerous main branch members still were not for the decision to let a branch family member take over, whether he was the nephew of the former leader or not. It went against standard Hyuuga traditions that have been in play for generations. And going against tradition just was not right in their minds.

"Now, before we make our way out for refreshments, Neji has one announcement." The older man said and took a step back, giving Neji the limelight. The new leader looked determined out into the crowd. His eyes scanned and he found Tenten, dolled up in a white spaghetti strap sun dress. For once she had let her down and it curled down her back. She looked at him with strong brown eyes.

"Thank you uncle." Neji said. "My declaration is short and simple. I would like to announce my engagement," he went on, stopping as muttering broke out among the crowd. "and I would like to bring her up here with me." He smirked in amusement when Tenten's face turned bright red. Ino was practically jumping with excitement on her floor pillow, gripping Shikamaru's arm dangerously hard. Neji motioned with his hand for the girl to come.

Shyly, Tenten stood up slowly. She straightened her dress as she walked, her head down in embarrassment. She would definitely have to get Neji back for this one. She walked up to the front of the room and stood by her fiancé stiffly, waving innocently to the bunch of people.

There was clapping among the people, some gawking at the thought of Neji getting married. Tenten couldn't help but smile then, happy that they had finally told everyone. She wasn't hearing protests and that was a good sign.

Hiashi walked forward once more. "Now, everyone is invited for refreshments and entertainment in the main den." He said and motioned to the doors. The room began to filter out as everyone moved to the den.

Hiashi walked up, approaching Neji and Tenten. "Before you two head out, I've been meaning to talk to you." He said. "Both of you."

The pair remained silent, waiting for him to speak.

"It may not be the best time," he started. "but have you two put any thought into this marriage. Neji, we gave you time and this feels a bit rushed. Have you two considered the compromises that have to be made?" the older Hyuuga asked.

Tenten glanced at Neji who was looking right at his uncle. "Yes." Neji answered for both of them. She knew just to go along with him. In reality, they hadn't talked about it all that much. She didn't know what his future plans were, but she had always meant to bring up the subject.

Hiashi wasn't fully convinced by the look of Tenten's face. He gave Neji a stern look. "Be sure that you do. Sometime later I wish to talk to you both further. Right now, I believe that we should go join everyone else." He said, walking from the room.

Neji and Tenten both stood there in silence before Tenten spoke. "Why did you say yes to him? We haven't talked about anything." She narrowed her eyes, wanting to know why he was suddenly lying.

"If I had said no, he would have made us sit and talk despite of the festivities going on. He said he was happy for us both, but I know that he is wary of a rushed marriage." Neji explained. He made a move to leave but Tenten stopped him.

"Can you…tell me the compromises?" she asked. She wanted to know everything, and she didn't want him to keep anything from her.

"I'm not sure now is a good time. Why don't we talk later?" Neji bargained. Tenten looked skeptical, not having the patience to wait. She was about to protest when Neji cut her off. "We should go join everyone else."

The girl wasn't able to raise any protest because Neji was already leaving the room. She felt a small sting within her as she watched him turn away from her. She didn't know why he was putting this off, with the exception of the party, and she didn't like it. It was as if Neji was curling back into his ice shell and shutting her out.

With slight hesitation she hurried off to catch up to his side.

**---------------------**

Sakura had hurried to leave the party as soon as she could. She knew it was only right to go to the ceremony, even if she didn't desire to. She had waited around, dodging people in the crowd and trying to avoid Ino. Naruto was easier to avoid since he had so many people coming up to talk to him. He grinned at the attention and didn't particularly pay attention to what anyone was saying. He simply basked in the limelight.

After what seemed like an eternity to her, she spotted Neji as he appeared in the room, Tenten at his side. She rushed over, wanting to get to him before anyone else did. She could see a few eyes on him and moved faster.

"Neji!" She called and stopped in front of him. "I just wanted to congratulate you before I left. So, urm…well congratulations. I'm really happy for you." She tried her best to place a smile on her face and she was sure it came out awkward looking.

Neji nodded his head but gave her a look. "Thank you Sakura. You aren't staying?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I mean…I would love to but I haven't been uh…feeling well lately." She lied through her teeth. Her face looked pitiful enough, like she was trying to look fine.

She was unsure if he bought her lie, but whether he did or not he let her get away with it. "I'm sorry to hear that. Well, I wouldn't want to keep you here and delay any recovery time." He said, just going along with what she said. Sakura attempted her smile once more, convinced that it came out better this time.

"Yes, thank you. And thank you for inviting me. I'm sure I'll see you both around sometime later." She said nodding in Tenten's direction. She threw the brunette a disgruntled look after meeting her eyes. She could tell that Tenten definitely didn't buy it. But if Tenten knew how she was feeling, she would understand why she was running out.

Quickly she left before she could be spotted leaving.

Tenten watched her go, feeling uneasy. She knew something was wrong with her friend and she had a good idea of what it was. She wanted to help, to talk to her but she wasn't sure if that would help or cause any more damage.

Shaking her head, she pushed the issue to the back of her mind. Instead she slinked away from Neji who was now being approached by many different people she didn't know. She looked around for her friends, knowing it would be easy to find her lovable teammate and goofy team leader.

She looked ahead and was greeted with the site of Ino, hanging off of Chouji's arm yelling to Shikamaru to hurry up with her drink. Several people stared at her and Tenten saw out of the corner of her eye a tense Shikamaru, whom she was sure, was trying to stay convinced not to drown himself in the punch bowl.

**----------------------**

For once, she got a break. She wasn't the Hokage anymore; all of that responsibility had been passed on. And for tonight, she wasn't in the hospital. There were surprisingly few patients and she wasn't needed. The nurses and standard doctors were fine on their own and if an emergency came up, she knew she would hesitate before going in.

She was resting, having the whole night to herself. Just her and her new warm apartment. It wasn't the Hokage mansion, but it was perfect. One of the larger apartments in Konoha and it was perfect, fitting her style in everyway. It was open with many windows. There was a nice kitchen, a room where she could stock her books, and a large bathtub in the bathroom for her pleasure. She also had a perfectly sized balcony in her bedroom.

That was where she was now. Taking in the gorgeous site of the whole village, lights shining like stars from the many different buildings. She was glad that her place was on the top floor. It provided her with the most excellent view. It really was breathtaking. The stars shone above her along with the moon. She sat back in her cushioned lounge chair.

"This is the life." She sighed quietly to herself.

"Isn't it?" A deep coarse voice said after her. Opening her amber eyes, Tsunade looked up to see her view of the village blocked and instead found her old teammate.

"You are at my home because…?" she questioned, once again closing her eyes. She could see his grinning face in her mind.

"I'm not allowed to see an old friend?" he asked in a teasing voice. In the blink of an eye he was kneeling down, right beside her. Feeling the shift in his chakra, Tsunade looked at him out of the corner of her eye, making no move. "That's not very nice Tsunade." The woman could feel his hand brush along her arm so gently. It gave her goose bumps.

"It's not like you to drop by very often." Her looked turned suspicious. "What do you want you old goat?" she demanded in her natural strict tone.

Placing his hand over his chest he sighed dramatically. "Your words hurt dear. Besides, you're older than I am." He snickered and stood up, now leaning against the railing. His last comment gave Tsunade the biggest urge to push him off the balcony. It would matter than much, he wouldn't get hurt anyways.

"By a few month asshole." She said venomously. Her eyes smoldered.

Jiraiya waved off her words. "Yeah, yeah. Well, since you're not working I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drink. It's been a while since we've gone out." He smirked. Tsunade didn't look as though she was interested.

"And it's been a while since I've been home for the whole night. I'd rather stay in. Go in and get a drink if you want to." She turned over onto her side, obviously ignoring him now. The toad sage sighed and pushed away from the railing, opening the glass door and walking into her bedroom.

A few minutes he returned; a sake bottle and two small sake cups in hand. Tsunade was surprised that he knew were they were. The last time he was in her apartment was when she forced him to help with her moving. He had slacked off at that time which pissed her off greatly. He hardly lifted a finger and at one point snuck off where he was later found heading towards the hot springs. She never did let him live that one down.

Jiraiya forced Tsunade to shift over and he took a seat on the edge of the chair. The woman moved her legs and sat up. Jiraiya poured some sake in one of the small cups and passed it on to Tsunade who just held it, not wanting to drink at the moment. He then poured some for himself and set the bottle down by his feet. His back was facing hers and his head was lifted up, his eyes gazing at the patterns of the stars.

"I've been meaning to talk to you." He spoke finally after taking a sip of his drink. Tsunade's brows furrowed as she swiveled the cup, watching the contents spin around the edge. Finally took a sip as well, her mouth and throat used to the burning sensation of the alcohol.

"…About what?" she asked in a breathless tone.

Jiraiya hesitated before pressing on. He knew he had to bring up this discussion and there was no reason to keep it all hidden any longer. The time had come, whether he was ready for it or not.

"Though I'm not sure the timing is right, and to be honest I don't know if it'll ever be right, you know that we are going to have to talk to Naruto." He said. After staring at his drink he raised it to his lips, downing the rest in one shot. He reached down for the bottle.

"I've been thinking about that myself. But why do I have to be pulled into this? You are his godfather (1), right? You should be the one to tell him." She said, giving him a stern look. She raised her glass up to him, asking for more. He replied and filled her cup up.

"I know, but I think it will go smoother with you there. I'm not great at this sort of thing, you know that."

"And you think I am?" Tsunade interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"Better than me." He said over his shoulder and watched as she leaned back into the chair. The white haired sage turned his body so he was facing her. "I just have this feeling. I know he isn't going to be happy."

Tsunade just about rolled her eyes and spoke, "Well, it could go either way. Finally, after so long, learning about his parents. I'm sure he would be grateful to know everything, but at the same time…it's almost unpredictable to say but I'm sure he'll be upset, whether he shows it or not, that we kept it from him for so long." Her words trailed off into the night.

Jiraiya simply nodded. He knew, with Naruto's hot headedness, that the boy would most likely get upset or angry. Even if it didn't read on his face he had a feeling that somewhere there would be a spark of emotion hidden by him. And then what? After he was told, there was no way that they could predict how he would react. Would it be a good reaction, a bad one? Would he avoid everyone or stay the same? It was impossible to tell.

"Do you think that we'd make the right decision by telling?" Jiraiya asked in a softer tone. He looked out to the village and in the distance he would make out the large Hokage mansion. The boy was there, in the same place his father had once been and he didn't even know it.

Tsunade could help but smile. She finished the rest of her sake and set the cup down by the chair. She sat up and took a seat on the edge of the chair by Jiraiya were she took his hand into hers. "You really do care for that boy don't you?" she said caringly. He nodded. "I swear," she said and giggled lightly, "you may be his godfather, but the way you talk about him…you'd think he was your grandson."

The man let out a small chuckle and looked down at the smaller woman. "Come now Tsunade. Could you picture me with a grandson? Hell, a child of my own?"

Shrugging the blonde answered, "It's not impossible. I'd feel bad for the kid though." She joked heartily. "A pervert in the making." She laughed, and he joined in with her.

"That would be interesting to see." He said as their laughter died down.

There was silence between them for a moment, the only thing heard were the crickets of the night, playing their own melody with each other. Tsunade sighed and leaned into Jiraiya's shoulder. "So, when should we tell him?" she asked. She wasn't sure where the lovey-dovey feeling was coming from. Though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, her feelings for the man beside her had finally become stronger than before.

When they had first come together to join as a team she couldn't say that she particularly liked him. He was a brat in her opinion and someone she just fought with. And for the following years afterwards, she had profusely ignored any warm feelings he may have given her. They were insignificant.

And after Dan died, she never thought she could love anyone else. And for so many years she hadn't seen Jiraiya. She thought everything was just lost.

But over the past six, seven years she couldn't help but feel closer to him than anyone. Even Shizune, the girl she had training and traveled with for so long. She could tell Shizune anything, but she couldn't be comfortable with her like she was with Jiraiya. Over those years her feelings just seemed to develop. The feelings she ignored so long ago seemed to come forth at full strength, demanding that their presence was known. She had then denied them again. It was nothing. He was just her comfort zone, nothing else. At least, that's what she thought.

And his feelings for her? Sure he had always joked, asking her out all the time. But that's all she thought it was, a joke. She never knew that half of the time he was serious. And it developed from there. Small signals were exchanged from both and their relationship took its own path. It led right up to where they were today, comfortably sitting close to each other. Tsunade couldn't put a definition to their relationship, since she didn't know how deep it ran. But she was sure that some day they would just know.

Jiraiya's thumb was mindlessly running over the top of her hand. "Why not tomorrow? The sooner the better and I'm honestly anxious to tell him." He said.

Tsunade silently agreed. "Tomorrow it is." She whispered.

**---------------------------**

It had been a long day in the Hyuuga home. Later in the afternoon the guest began to leave. Now it was dark outside. The guests were gone, the den was clean, and the house was still. With the exception of the dojo.

Neji and Tenten both sat off to the side of the room and watched as Hinata and Hinabi went at each other, with their attacks. Tenten watched the gentle fist technique being used, still amazed by it. She had grown up watching Neji and Hinata use it and she was still fascinated by it. The ability to use chakra to damage internal organs, it was incredible. It was like an invisible attack.

The door slid open and Hiashi stood in the doorway. The two sisters stopped and turned to see their father.

"Oh, father, good evening." Hinata greeted with a small bow. Hinabi bowed as well.

"Hello father." She said.

Hiashi nodded to both of them. "Please, don't stop on my account. I came to see Neji and Tenten."

The engaged couple look at him to see him motion for them to follow him. Both complied and stood up, exiting the room with him.

As they walked down the hallway to the sitting room Tenten couldn't help but feel jitters in her stomach. She wasn't sure what he was going to say to them, but she was nervous. Maybe he would tell her off. Maybe he wouldn't allow them to marry. She didn't know why he would but that's all her mind kept thinking of.

Once in the room all three of them took a seat, Tenten and Neji sitting across from Hiashi. The older man had a calm look on his face. He didn't look angry or like he was in a bad mood, something Tenten was thankful for.

"Now," Hiashi started. "Since the two of you have failed to talk about future plans I think it's time that you do."

Neji scowled and sat back in his seat. He knew it was necessary but it wasn't something he had really wanted to do. He meant for everything to flow on its own.

"Tenten," the man said, turning his attention to her. The girl sat up straighter at the sound of her name. "I hate to bring this up so suddenly, but you do have plans on moving in don't you?"

Startled by the question, the girl fought for words. No, she hadn't thought of moving in. And now it seemed so stupid that she never thought of it before. Already engaged yet she wasn't living with him. Hell, she hadn't been romantically involved with him for too long either.

It was obvious by her face that she hadn't thought of it. Hiashi understood and spoke once more. "Well, that brings up another thing. Neji, since I am no longer the leader of this family this house here is technically yours now. It is the main household for the Head of the family." He spoke. Neji hadn't thought of that before at all. "And once you two do get settled in, I need to know…would you prefer if my daughters and I moved into a different part of the Hyuuga villa?"

Just as Tenten was before, Neji was suddenly caught up by the question. He thought for a moment, letting everything sink in. "No." he answered. "This home is plenty big enough. It's actually too big for just two people." He said.

Hiashi inclined his head. "I am only asking this because I want you to think ahead. If you two have children in the near future…"

Tenten just about died. Her face suddenly flushed by those last few words and she could feel the blood rushing to her face.

"…then I wouldn't want us to be a burden of any kind."

Neji had remained unaffected by his words. He already knew that children were what was expected from this marriage. That was the whole plan behind the three month marriage deadline. The only reason for it was to produce an heir. Neji did not agree with these terms at all, but it was how things were done for decades. And coming from the branch family, he wasn't in the position to argue with it, whether he was the Head or not. He was just thankful that it was Tenten, someone he loved that he was getting married to. He shuttered at the thought of who the family would have picked out.

Tenten was still tense from the words. Neji said, "It's no problem. Having more people around would make a better environment for a baby anyways."

The brunette girl nearly choked. Neji just said those words. He said _baby_.

"Alright then. I believe the rest is for you two to talk about. It's getting late now. Tenten, you are more than welcome to stay. We can have one of the guest rooms made up, or you can stay with Neji if you wish." Hiashi stood without another word and walked from the room.

Neji turned to Tenten. "It is getting late. Do you want to stay here tonight?" he asked. Tenten mutely nodded. "Alright. I'm sure Hinata has clothes that you can wear." He said standing up. He held a hand out to her which she excepted.

They walked through the halls and into the open summer air. It wasn't humid at all, but instead the perfect temperature. They approached Hinata's room and Tenten knocked. Once…twice…three times without an answer. She opened the door a small bit and found the room to be empty. She opened the door fully and walked in, turning the lights on.

"I'm sure she won't mind if I just borrow something." She said and went over to raid her friend's drawers. She found the girls night clothes and snatched up a pair of black shorts and a plain white t-shirt. After closing the dresser drawers she stood up and snuck out of the room.

They walked in silence to Neji's room. Once inside Tenten moved and sat on his bed while the boy went to grab his own clothes. "You can change here if you feel comfortable. If not the bathroom is down the hall on the left side." he said and pulled out his fleece black pajama bottoms.

Tenten looked down at the clothes in hand and debated what to do in her mind. She didn't feel uncomfortable to be exact, embarrassed more than anything. Even if she had nothing to be embarrassed about. But she didn't want to go searching for the bathroom either. The door would most likely be in front of her and she would miss it and end up lost.

Slowly she reached around and grasped the zipper of her dress. She twisted her arm until she had a good hold on it and pulled downwards. At first it twisted at an odd angle and refused to move, but finally she got it and it slid right down, allowing the dress to fall off of her shoulders. She suddenly became very self conscious.

Looking up, she watched as Neji unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall off his shoulders and off of his arms. She practically drooled at just seeing his strong back and only wished he would turned around.

Neji turned around.

Tenten caught his eye and blushed, her arms moving to cover her chest. The dress had fallen down, exposing her upper body and stomach. It was slightly uncomfortable. The only people who had seen her like this were her friends, and any hospital staff who had treated her. And now she was in just her underwear, exposed to Neji.

Neji couldn't help the small chuckle that fell from his lips. He set his shirt of the bed and proceeded to undo his pants.

Now Tenten just wished that Neji would turn back around. She hesitated a while before letting the dress drop. Quickly she attempted to get the shorts on. She rushed so quickly that her toe got stuck on the waistband of the shorts and was almost thrown off balance. She fixed her problem and pulled them up over her long legs. Then she reached for the shirt and yanked it over her head.

After they were all ready for bed, they both pulled the sheets back from the bed and got settled in. Neji shifted the pillows behind him and Tenten sank down into the bed. She wanted to talk to him about what was going to happen once they were married. She just had a feeling that she was being left out on something. But at the moment she was tired and wanted to sleep.

She looked over next to her at the man laying beside her. She still couldn't believe that he was beside her. It felt like a dream. And she didn't want to wake up. It was just too good and everything she wanted.

Rolling over onto her side Tenten curled up into the ball like positions she was so used to. Neji rolled over, facing her. His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, piercing right through her. Unexpectedly he inched closer to her, something that didn't seem like him. Tenten looked right at him, still in her dream-like trance. If this was a dream, she could do as she wanted right?

Leaning in towards him she placed her lips on his in a gentle goodnight kiss. She could feel the sparks, they felt so real. The good feelings that she got whenever she kissed him. She knew this was reality, she knew this wasn't a dream. And she was thankful for that.

**--------------------------**

Yawning, Sakura climbed into Genma's bed. She had taken over his room since he left, allowing Kakashi to have his bed to himself for once. He hadn't been gone too long, yet Sakura already missed Genma. She sank down into his pillow and took the second one, hugging it to her body like a teddy bear. She inhaled, taking in his scent. It made it seem like he was right there. He was her big protective brother. Someone who could joke and the next moment become deadly serious. She loved him to death, just as she did the rest of her teammates.

It was late now, nearing midnight. She had been trying to get some sleep but it was evading her, making her toss and turn. It was frustrating and she knew it was because she had so much on her mind.

Suddenly the door opened and her make-shift father poked his head into the room.

"Don't worry, I'm awake Kakashi." She said.

The door fully opened and the jounin stepped into the room, making his way over to the bed. He took a seat on the edge.

"For some reason, I didn't expect you to be asleep." He said.

"And I didn't expect you home until morning." She retorted. Kakashi had been assigned a mission this morning and he was back sooner than she expected.

"What can I say? I haven't lost my touch and finished the mission in record time." He chuckled. Sakura gave a half hearted smile and sat up.

"Well, I'm sure you're tired. Don't stay up because of me." She said.

But Kakashi made no move to leave. "I actually wanted to talk to you." He said. He knew she wouldn't be getting any sleep soon and he wasn't particularly tired. He wanted to talk to her and now seemed best. He would most likely sleep in tomorrow and by the time he woke up, she would have left already.

"I'm not usually one to pry into people's private lives, but when it comes to those I care about I do it if I think that something is wrong. Sakura, you seemed pretty shaken up after your visit with Sasuke. Did anything happen between you two?" he asked.

"_Sakura, I love you."_

His voice rang through her head as his name was mentioned. She froze in place, her eyes becoming distant. She hurriedly pulled herself together. "No, everything was fine." She covered.

Kakashi wasn't believing her story. He knew something was wrong. After that visit, Sakura seemed to be in a whole different funk. It was slightly frustrating because he was shut out and couldn't help, but Kakashi knew that that was how things went. He didn't get to know everything, that's just how life was. And frankly, Sakura did need to sort this problem out herself. He would just give her a push in the right direction.

"I'm here to listen Sakura. Tell me if something is bothering you. Did you two fight…or did he say anything to you…" he was bringing out suggestions now, hoping she would tell him something.

She wasn't in the mood now. She told herself, that some point later she would tell Kakashi what Sasuke said. But right now, she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

"It's fine Kakashi. Thank's for the concern but it's not needed. You'll see, in a few days I'll be back to my normal self, I promise." She said, trying her hardest to sound convincing.

Knowing he wouldn't get anything out of her, Kakashi placed a hand on top of her head. "If you say so. If you do find that you need to talk, you know where to find me." He stood up from the bed.

"Thanks. Oyasumi."

**-------------------------**

Hinata knew just where to find her father. Like every morning around this time, he was in the dojo, meditating and getting ready for his own training. She knew it wasn't the smartest move to interrupt him while he was meditating, but it was when he was in his calmest state. He would listen to her then.

"Please excuse me." She said before opening the door. She was right; there in the middle of the room sitting peacefully was her father, his head bowed and his eyes closed. She shut the door behind her and slowly entered, walking over to kneel by her father.

"Hinata, would you like to join me for my morning training?" Hiashi asked.

Hinata looked down. "Eto…actually…Otou-san, I wanted to talk to you."

* * *

**1. In Naruto manga chapter 382 Minato (Fourth Hokage) and Kushina (Naruto's mother) agree that Jiraiya should be Naruto's godfather. More will be explained in the next chapter. **

**Another chapter down. I hope you all enjoyed. And you all liked my Jiraiya/Tsunade scene right? Right!? I know you did!**


	39. Truth behind an old story

**Chapter 39 looking fine! Lol, stupid me. **

**Disclaimer: Nah, people would hate me if I owned Naruto. I'd have crazy feuds and insane love triangles. **

**Major spoilers about Naruto in here if you haven't read that manga!**

"Ino, just calm down and come back with me."

"No! He said he would be here and I'm not going in until he comes!" the blonde said back, promptly crossing her arms over her chest. A scowl adorned her face and her eyes were narrowed at the sliding glass doors.

"It's been almost an hour. Just come along. Maybe he got caught up in something."

Sakura was trying her hardest to get Ino to go with her so they could go over her appointment. She had to check Ino for her monthly doctor visit. But Shikamaru hadn't show up (yet) and her friend refused to go into one of the rooms without him. He had told the girl that he would be there this morning, and now he was an hour late. Sakura sighed.

"I do have other patients Ino. This is getting ridiculous. You can tell him everything later." Sakura tried to persuade her into forgetting her boyfriend, but by the defiant look on Ino's face, it was just not happening.

"But I want him here for the ultrasound. He has to see the baby!" The blue eyed girl argued. Her words sounded whiney and she pouted, still looking at the door. Sakura walked over to the girl who was sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting room.

"He'll get here. And when he does, we'll have the receptionist tell him which room we're in." Sakura tugged on her friends arm.

Just at that minute, the person they had been waiting for ran through the doors, huffing for breath. He held his chest as he stood in the doorway. His eyes found Ino's and he suddenly went from looking tired to scared.

"Ino, sorry." He panted. His face was tinged red and it was obvious that he had run to get here sooner. "I just got caught up with work." He said. Everyone had seemed to find Shikamaru the perfect person to push all of the work on. For some reason. He was the lazy man, yet he was doing all of the work. It was strange for people to trust him to do it.

Sakura smirked slightly in a way that said, _'I told you.' _She let it go when Ino glared. The blonde stood up, glared at Shikamaru and hit him hard on the upper arm.

"Jerk! You're an hour late!" She yelled at him. Shikamaru flinched when he was hit and looked apologetic.

"I know, I'm sorry. I tried to get here sooner." He said.

"Alright, now you two come with me so we can get started." Sakura said and walked down the hallway. She led them into a room. A large bed was set up, one of the beds that you saw for other patients in the hospital. A large machine in the corner sat humming quietly. A counter was set up against the pale blue walls, all different kinds of tools and medical instruments lined it.

Ino climbed onto the bed and shifted herself so that she was comfortably propped up against the pillows. Shikamaru took a seat in the chair that sat in the corner of the room. He stared at the floor, his hands laced together and his thumbs twiddling together.

Sakura set Ino's medical folder on the counter top and opened it, glancing over the papers.

(Just so everyone knows, I've never been to a doctor's appointment with my sister (who is pregnant) so I don't really know exactly what they do).

The first thing she did was take Ino's blood pressure and temperature. When everything checked out to be normal, she turned, asking her friend to lie down on the bed. Ino did so, the sheets rustling beneath her as she adjusted herself on the pillow. Sakura proceeded to the girl, pulling the girls shirt up. Ino hissed, her friend's hands cold on her bare skin.

"What are you? Some zombie? Damn your hands are cold!" she gasped. Sakura smiled apologetically and started to press down on the girl's stomach.

"Have you had any problems Ino? Any pain or anything?" she asked.

Ino winced as Sakura pressed down on her lower stomach. "Not really. I mean, your standardized pregnancy pain I guess. Mama said it wasn't too much to worry about, but if it got worse she said that I should talk to you."

Sakura nodded. "Does the pain last long? Like, more than a couple minutes?"

Ino shook her head. "No. It's there but after like, thirty seconds it goes away. It doesn't happen to often."

Again Sakura nodded and pulled her friends shirt up more, fully exposing the large bulge. "You're not wearing any metal are you?" Sakura noticed that Ino was in comfortable lounge pants and a plain blue t-shirt.

"No. I knew you were going to ask." Ino said with a playful, narrowed eyed look.

"Standard procedure." Sakura answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "Could you take your shirt all the way off?"

Sitting up slightly, Ino pulled her shirt up over her head, leaving her in just her sports bra. Last time she was here she had to wear one of the hospital gowns, something she loathed. At the time she had a different nurse. She was glad that she had Sakura this time, her friend knowing that she didn't like the hideous gowns. As long as she wasn't wearing anything metal and everything was out of the way, there weren't any problems.

Lying back down, she was surprised when Sakura suddenly squirted some of the gel onto her stomach. "Ho shit!" Ino hissed, her eyes widening. "Some warning next time! That shits cold!"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned on the ultrasound machine, the picture on the screen blank. She grabbed the small computer mouse like device and placed it on Ino's stomach. She motioned for Shikamaru to come over next to her. She rolled the object over Ino's stomach while Shikamaru joined her, looking at the monitor. To him it looked like a giant grey blob. It didn't look like anything.

"What am I looking at?" he asked Sakura, frowning at the screen.

Sakura stared at the screen intently. "Your baby." She answered, trying to get a good focus on it. After a bit, she located the head and most of the it's body. She smiled at the screen and looked over at Ino's face, seeing a similar smile there. Shikamaru stared at the monitor blankly, trying to really take everything in. He was amazed by how much bigger his child was than the last time he had seen an ultrasound.

He knew it was taking time, but the thought about having a baby was starting to get him, catching it in its web and making him realize that it was going to happen soon. And he was getting more comfortable with it. He was accepting the fact that he was going to be a father. It took nearly four months, but it was growing on him.

He smiled.

"Everything looks fine. Oh look…" Sakura pointed at the monitor. The baby was moving around, wriggling and moving its arms. Its hand moved up, as if it was waving.

"Oh! That's so cute." Ino said excitedly. She always loved being able to watch her baby on screen. It made her want the thing out so that she could play with it and take care of it already. She had already bought toys and things for the baby to play with. She had some old fairy tale books that she could read to it. She even began to get diapers, knowing that the kid would go through them very quickly. The only thing she needed to get now was clothes and simple baby needs.

"So you want to know what it is?" Sakura asked. She had stopped moving the small device, having it set on the baby. Ino looked down at her.

"It's a baby. A human baby, I already know that." She said, taking slowly as if something was wrong with her friend.

"No Ino." Sakura said shaking her head. Shikamaru bowed his head at his girlfriend's blonde act. "I mean, do you want to know if it's a boy or a girl?" She looked over at the live video of the baby was studied it. Her trained eyes could clearly read the sex of the child and she was positive she was correct.

With a sudden rush of anxiety, Ino began to rant. "What? I never thought of that? How could I have never thought of that? I mean…we haven't discussed names so of course I haven't thought of it. But what would I want? A boy or a girl? Shika-kun always said he wanted a girl first. But what if it's a boy? Will you be mad Shika? I'm sorry if it's not what you want! I don't know…"

"I guess Shikamaru got his wish. It's a girl." Sakura declared.

A very short silence enveloped the room before Ino let out a squeal of delight. "SERIOUSLY!?" She exclaimed loudly. "No way! Oh god…oh…" she was speechless. She didn't know how to react or why she was so excited by the news. Silently Shikamaru smiled. It pleased him to hear this, since he had always wanted a girl first. And for some reason he felt even better about this baby. He knew he would have felt better if it was a boy as well. This baby thing really _was_ growing on him.

After Ino calmed down, Sakura finished cleaning off her stomach. "We just need to take your height and weight then schedule you to get blood work done Ino. Just to make sure nothing it wrong." She said and began to write a few things down into the girl's folder. Ino sat up, struggling slightly with the baby bump in her way, and got up off of the bed.

"Alright." With a _thump _her feet hit the floor and she wobbled slightly. "And I'll make an appointment to come back next month." She said. Shikamaru moved before her to the door, opening it and waiting for her. The scale was in the hallway and he knew that that was the next place to go. Ino didn't move. "You go on ahead Shika-kun, I'll be out in a minute." She answered. With a small sigh Shikamaru abided to her words and left the room.

Soundly, Ino turned to Sakura who was closing the folder and preparing to walk out the door. Ino spoke first. "You seem cheery today." Her voice was full of suspicion and her eyes narrowed questionably. Her hand was placed on her hip which was cocked to the side. Sakura's brows furrowed slightly.

"Can't I be happy? Am I supposed to be miserable?" Sakura asked.

"Yes!" Ino shouted. A frown marred her friend's face but she ignored it. "Sakura, it's been a week since Sasuke was placed in jail." Sakura involuntarily flinched at the sound of his name. She didn't mean to and was shocked that it happened. "How can you be happy when the man you love is locked away from you? You were miserable not too long ago!"

Sakura made a move to walk past the bickering blonde woman but the round stomach blocked her exit to the door. "Ino, look." She starting, knowing she wasn't going to go anywhere without explaining. "I have every right to happy don't I? I mean, I can't let one thing bother me. So I'm just trying not to think about it." Her answer was truthful, even if she wasn't getting anywhere in what she said. She wasn't trying to think about Sasuke, or anything that he had said to her. And now, she was just trying to be patient and wait for him to be released. Then they would talk, a nice long talk. She was ready for it.

"Right." Ino said skeptically. "How do I know it's not just an act?" her arms swung around wildly. Sakura took a step back to avoid being pelted in the side of the face.

"It's not Ino. Just trust me okay! I'm fine." Sakura said the last part slowly. "Should I spell it out for you?"

Ino glared at the comment. "I know you're not fine, alright. I just don't want to see you hurt. Sorry for being concerned." The girl turned on her heel and waddled out the door.

With a sigh, Sakura didn't even get the urge to laugh at her friend's pregnant walk. Instead she watched her leave, every word sinking in like a sponge. She was right. Ino was right. And she knew it. But had to keep lying, she didn't want people to think anything was wrong anymore. She hated being weak and being depressed was a weakness. Something that she had to eliminate.

She had to get stronger once more.

**----------------**

"Hinata?" Hiashi spoke, looking at his daughter with a curious look. Rarely did she approach him for something and when she did it was always for something important.

"Yes, father. I…have something to ask of you." She was sitting beside him, the nervous waves radiating off of her. She refused to look him in the eye, or look at him at all. Instead her pale eyes were pointed to the floor where they were clouded with uncertainty.

Hiashi waited patiently.

Gathering up the remnants of her courage, Hinata gulped and opened her mouth to speak. "Well, I think…I mean I do have the right to choose and all…and….and I think you should allow me to see Naruto."

A silence embroidered the room. The tension was suddenly thick and Hinata felt like it was harder to take in her next breath. She didn't bother and was holding her breath. She still didn't look at him, afraid to see what his face looked like. Her gut twisted and her fingers dug into her pant legging. For no reason the long silence made her eyes water, tears waiting to fall.

"Hinata," her father spoke after a long pause. "Do you know of the Kyuubi, the nine tailed fox that attacked the village almost twenty years ago?"

She was curious now. Where was he going with this? True, she had heard the story of the fox and how the fourth Hokage gave his life to stop the beast and protect the village. "I do." She answered softly.

Hiashi nodded to himself. "You know of the brutal battle to defend against the beast. You know of the sacrifice that the fourth Hokage made, just to keep everyone safe. But, you do not know the whole story.

"Do you know how the beast was vanquished? How our village was saved?"

Thinking, she shook her head no. "I don't."

"It is true that the fourth Hokage was a hero who saved us, but," he said, his eyes looking down at the top of the girl's head, receiving no eye contact in return. "do you know who the real hero is?"

No she didn't. She didn't know how the beast was destroyed. She didn't know how the fourth Hokage defeated him. It was a mystery to her, something she never really though about. Though it wasn't long before her time, it was just that. Something that happened before she was born. She had asked about it before, but her father had told her it wasn't anything she should be concerning herself with.

"There is someone else, who is a true hero…"

**----------------**

"…Naruto."

Looking up the blonde boy yawned, having fallen asleep in the middle of paper work. She looked down at the papers which he hadn't even read yet and groaned. It wasn't the first time he had fallen asleep on the job and he knew it wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Mm?" he grumbled.

Tsunade looked, to Naruto at least, more nervous than ever. She wasn't a wreck, but her eyes told a story. His half lidded eyes lifted to look right into her amber ones. He knew something was up and he wasn't sure what it was.

Slowly he sat upright in his chair stretching, his back popping. "What is it Baa-chan?" he asked, exhausted.

Jiraiya was at the woman's side, leading her into the room. "Naruto, we have some things we need to talk about." His low voice said in a serious tone. That was the tone that caught Naruto's attention. He only heard it when Jiraiya was being serious.

Patiently the newly appointed Hokage waited to hear what the pair had to say to him.

Both Jiraiya and Tsunade took an edge of the desk, facing Naruto, to sit on. Jiraiya leaned back, his palm face down to steady himself. Tsunade sat straight with her hands in her lap, looking at the boy. Her hard demeanor was slowly coming down, allowing her emotions to peek out.

"Naruto…" Tsunade said. Said boy was wondering why they insisted on saying his name repeatedly. "We want to talk to you about…about your past."

Eyebrows furrowed and half open crystal blue eyes gazed down at the desk. His mouth was parted slightly and turned downward. After so long, now he would finally understand.

**----------------**

"You see Hinata, not long before the Kyuubi attacked the village, a baby was born." Hiashi explained calmly.

Again the girl couldn't help but wonder why the story was being told. What did this have to do with her and Naruto being together? She wanted to just hear his answer, either a yes or a no. But still, this was her father and she would listen to him, even if she didn't find anything relevant between the two things.

"This baby was born the day of the attack on the village. And the fourth Hokage decided to use this baby for the good of everyone. So he did something no one had thought of, something no one even considered. It was obvious that the Kyuubi couldn't be stopped any other way. So the fourth Hokage sealed the Kyuubi in the newborn child."

Flabbergasted Hinata absorbed the story, the truth that was being exposed.

"The fourth gave up his life to stop the beast. And he put that child in danger as well. All for us. You weren't born, but you were alive, preparing to join us in this world. The fourth saved you Hinata." Hiashi said.

Before he could continue, Hinata interrupted. "Who was the baby?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

There was another silence. Hinata's wide eyes stayed fixed on the floor, becoming worried as her mind began to process where this story was going.

"His name is…Uzumaki Naruto…"

**----------------**

With wide cerulean eyes, the boy attempted to form his words and speak them correctly. He couldn't find his voice though, something was lodged in his throat, constricting his airways and disabling him from speaking. He forced it though, his voice sounding strained.

"W-what?"

Tsunade's head was lowered. She hated how he sounded. Like a confused child, not believing the words that were just spoken. She knew it would be like this and it was better that he was finding out.

Jiraiya had decided to be blunt, just getting the most important fact out first. "It's true." He said. "You are the son of the fourth Hokage."

Softly, their reply came. "Nande? Why has this been kept from me for so long? I don't understand."

"It's hard to say." Jiraiya continued, his own eyebrows pulled together. "We just never could find the right moment to tell you. We weren't sure if we would tell you at all."

Infuriated by that, Naruto's eyes narrowed angrily. "I don't understand why you would keep all of this from me for so long! I mean...this is...this is…" he fought to find the right words. Nothing came to mind and his fist slammed down onto the table.

Tsunade glanced out the window, her eyes beginning to glaze. She was frustrated, and along with the emotions flowing it just caused the moisture to appear. She looked mad and she was slowly shaking her head silently.

"Naruto, stay calm and let me talk to you more." Jiraiya's voice was demanding and his dark eyes were focused on the boy who was shaking slightly in his chair. Naruto couldn't calm down, it was inevitable and the other two knew it. He didn't speak though and allowed Jiraiya to speak.

"Now." The white haired sage began to think of where to start. "Your parents. Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. Your mother was a beautiful woman." Jiraiya said, his head tilting back and a smile crossed his face as he thought of the young couple. "With a head of long, wild, red hair and a personality to match. It's obvious that you got your kookiness from her."

It was hard to fight it off but a small smile appeared on Naruto's face he thought, pictured what his mother could have been like.

"She was wonderful." Tsunade said, speaking finally. "She came from the Whirlpool country. She was a fun loving woman, always making us laugh."

"But you," Jiraiya said, "Obviously got your looks from your father. It's hard to imagine what you would look like if you came out with red hair." He chuckled lightly. Tsunade smiled.

Naruto found himself smiling, his head in his hands hiding his expression. "Is she…?"

Both sannin knew what he was asking. It was hard to say but Tsunade chocked out an answer. "She…died Naruto, during childbirth.(1)"

For some reason that hit him hard. Like a ton of bricks to the gut the wind was knocked out of him and his smile disappeared in an instant. He had killed his mother.

"You already know that shortly after the Kyuubi was sealed inside of you that Minato died." Jiraiya continued. He frowned as he knew he had to tell the boy the next part. "Before your parents died, they asked me to be your godfather."

He trailed off and gazed down at his hands, waiting for an explosion.

There wasn't an explosion, instead he didn't hear anything for the longest time. As though time had stopped no one moved, no one spoke, and no one looked at each other. Naruto was taking everything in, feeling good but at the same time feeling highly disappointed and sad. They had kept all of this from him for so long and it was mind blowing.

"You…"He growled, "are my godfather?" Jiraiya nodded, not knowing if Naruto was looking at him or not. Another surge of anger washed over the younger boy, charging his fury and nearly bringing him over the edge. "No! I can't accept that!" he shouted. "A godparent is supposed to be there when the child has no other guardian. I was left by myself, forced to raise myself with no parents to guide me! And where were you? Out collecting "research" and having fun?"

He couldn't stand it anymore. Someone who was given the duty by his mother and father to take care of him if anything happened to him, and yet he wasn't there for him for twelve years. It was unthinkable and gave him an unloved feeling.

He didn't want to be there. Not now, he wanted to be alone.

He stood up, the room quiet. His footsteps sounded as he walked to the door, opening it and closing it with a snap behind him.

Jiraiya and Tsunade stared out the window, neither of them bothering to say anything.

**--------------**

"N-no." Hinata gasped. "Why was I never told?"

Sighing Hiashi opened his mouth. "After the beast was sealing in Naruto, everyone was permitted to keep the events from their children. The fourth Hokage didn't want the children to look upon him in a bad way. He had asked the villagers to look at Naruto as a hero, but most of us looked at him as a beast."

Her head was tilted downward. She wanted to cry. The urge was strong but she was fighting it, knowing that tears were a weakness. "I can't believe this. I never knew…he never mentioned anything about it…"

With a hesitant pause Hiashi said, "Do you understand why I'm not comfortable with him?"

Frowning, Hinata finally looked up at her father with confused eyes. "No I don't." she said defiantly. "You see Naruto as a dangerous being don't you? Father, he has never hurt me and I belie…no. I know he won't. Please, I love him and he loves me…shouldn't that be enough?"

Hiashi didn't answer.

"I understand that you are concerned about me but think. Naruto is the Hokage, they wouldn't give him that title if they thought he was dangerous. You have to trust him and trust me. I'm begging you father, as your daughter, please, let me be with the man I love."

Still he didn't say anything.

"If you don't allow this, I don't know what I might do. I've gone behind your back, I've run away. I don't want to be a bad child but my urge to be with him is strong father, don't you see that?"

Yes he did.

"Onegai…I'm asking your permission but I won't stop until you say yes. I'm not giving up on Naruto just because you say no."

"…" He knew she made good points. But it was hard for him, being a protective father and having his daughter with someone who held a demon within them. It was nerve-racking, even if he didn't show it.

"…" Still, she was a legal adult now. She did have the right to make her own decisions, and she wouldn't have the whole clan to keep together now since Neji had taken over. It was a hard decision to make and he had to make one.

"…alright…"

"Hm?" Hinata looked up at him, not sure what he meant.

"I am…allowing you to…date him. I may be your father, but you are your own person." He said.

Overjoyed, Hinata's eyes lit up and a wide smile bombarded her face, lighting everything up. "Father…thank you!" she cheered. "Really, thank you!" she stood up, determined to go find Naruto right now. She hugged her father tightly and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "I have to go find him." She said hurriedly and rushed off out the door.

Once she was gone, Hiashi closed his eyes and smiled.

**--------------**

"Tenten, do you mind staying back? I wish to talk to you."

Tenten turned, looking at her green clad teammate. He was calmer than usual and had a more serious look on his face. "Sure Lee." She answered. Turning back to Neji she spoke to him, "I'll just see you later I guess."

Neji nodded. "Come to the house later. I have something that needs to be done there and I would like you to be there." He said. The girl nodded, watching him turn to leave.

"We'll see you later too I guess sensei." Tenten called out. In a flash, Gai appeared by her side, enveloping her in a crushing hug. She could swear she that the cracking sound was her spine.

"My youthful flower, I hope your day is beautiful! As for me I have a mission to accomplish. Once I finish this one I will be one up to Kakashi." The man said boisterously. His voice dropped down to a secretive whisper as he said, "He has 357 and my next one will put me at 358."

Tenten smiled awkwardly. "Well don't keep that mission waiting. I know you can do it!" she cheered in the best way she could. She was released from the death grip. The older clone to her friend gave her and Lee a short salute (which Lee returned) and dashed off quickly.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, the brown haired girl followed Lee over to a large tree that stood tall, its green leaves flapping around in the soft breeze. "So what do you want to talk about Lee?"

As the man took a seat beside her, he crossed his legs. "Tenten, I just want to know…" he started, almost unsure of himself. "I know Neji. And I know that he may not be the….er warmest person. How are things going for you both?" He asked in a sincere tone, signaling that he was, if nothing else, concerned.

Tenten gave him a strange look, a questioning look. She wasn't sure why he was asking such a question at all, but she would just answer him. "Everything is fine Lee. I mean, why wouldn't it be?"

Taking a moment to think, the boy gazed at the cloudless sky, the sun shining high in the blue abyss. "Do not get me wrong, I do not wish to be nosy. Neji just seems to be in control. And I know it is not like you to do as people ask you so easily. Tenten, you are an independent person, and I would not like to think that this relationship has changed that."

She couldn't help it. It seemed to have just slipped out for some reason. She giggled, right to his face. It was Lee's turn to be confused. He didn't know why she was suddenly laughing since he was being very serious. It was important to him.

"Lee, I'm sorry." She apologized and settled down. Sighing, she leaned back into the rough bark of the tree and looked upwards at the sky. "I didn't mean to laugh, it just slipped out." She said. "But about what you said, you don't have to worry. Honestly, I never really noticed how…easily I do as Neji says. I think it's just because I've never really been in a relationship before. I don't know what to do I guess. Neji just seems to know, or at least he acts like he knows what to do. So I don't really argue with him."

Lee allowed a small break before he spoke again. "That does make sense. But just remember that you do not have to do everything that he says."

Nodding Tenten answered, "I know."

Another pause came and it wasn't uncomfortable. The two of them hadn't spent a lot of time together with each other recently so this was nice, just being by themselves in each other's company. The wind blowing, birds chirping, and the sounds of the trees flowing in the breeze was all that was needed to bring the relaxing setting.

"So…do you know when the wedding will be?" Lee asked, finding he didn't have anything else to talk of.

"Um…we haven't really talked about that. Honestly, I just wanted to have the wedding sometime soon. Partly because I want it done and over with, but partly," Her voice dropped down, "because I really can't wait."

Lee chuckled. "Have you told Neji that?" he questioned.

Tenten shook her head. "No I haven't. You are the first to know."

"Well, I feel special." Lee joked. "Why do not tell Neji that you want to get married soon? I do not see why he would argue. And if he does, demand what you want. The way I know my Tenten would."

Smiling, Tenten knew what he meant. Somehow, Lee had seen some sort of change in her and wanted her more independent self back. Not the Tenten who agreed with everything. "Yeah, I will."

**-------------------**

"You should take it easy." Kakashi said from the tree branch above Sakura. He had just arrived to the training field and found Sakura furiously attacking a tree, sending swift punches and kicks at the hard surface of the plant. It was cracked and dented, falling apart with each new blow.

"I'm…fine." She huffed out between kicks and continued her assault. Kakashi knew this was her way to let off some steam, to release her frustration but he didn't want to see her push herself too far in a way that would be damaging.

"Why don't you work on that chakra shield jutsu that Tsunade assigned you?" he put out.

Sakura sent a devastating blow to the tree, causing a few chips of wood to fly in different directions. Her goal was to attack without chakra to allow her hits to become stronger on their own. "Already got it."

Kakashi merely watched her. "Then show me." He said.

The girl sent one last kick to the tree and stepped back, flexing her hands. She noticed a small bit of blood around her knuckles but quickly healed them. Taking in a deep breath to relax herself, she performed the appropriate hand seals and focused her chakra, sending it out in equal parts to the small chakra points throughout her body. The blue energy flooded out and around her body, slowly forming together and encasing her body in a cerulean cocoon.

She held the barrier for a few moments when suddenly a kunai came flying at the shield and hit at the spot protecting her chest. The barrier cracked and she became startled, the whole shield falling apart and dispersing.

"I think you still need to work on that. You're a bit slow in getting the barrier up and it obviously needs to be stronger. Just work on it and don't push yourself."

As fast as he had come the jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura growled as he left. He didn't offer her advice which he usually did and he just left her. The only explanation would be that he had somewhere to go. Or he wanted to read and he forgot his book.

Frowning, she started the hand seals again.

**------------------------**

He felt like he was going to go insane.

It had only been a week and yet he already wanted to rip his hair out. It was the same everyday. Wake up, shower, go to breakfast, then back to his jail cell where he had to suffer with that damn annoying cellmate (who was sentenced to a year in jail for Kami knows what). Then they would go to lunch, then the recreation room, then back to the cell. Then dinner and then lights out at ten o' clock sharp. Every other day they went outside.

It wasn't enough to be considered a way of living. The robotic, same, every day thing bugged him to no end. He was so used to freedom that he would take no missions and house arrest anytime over this. This was close to hell. Being at Orochimaru's was pure hell; this was just a fraction of what it was like there. Even though he would take this over being at Orochimaru's, this was still suffocating.

Still, he was being good. There was no point in making a commotion and he heard people who were good in jail sometimes got let out earlier.

And besides the routine and the annoyance, he felt…itchy just sitting in a jail cell. The way his talk with Sakura went over was unsatisfying and he only wished that she would come again. But he knew. The chances of that happening were slim.

He couldn't believe how she had reacted to his words. He thought for sure she would believe him and be at least a little bit happy. He didn't expect her to run out on him looking upset. He had seriously underestimated everything about Sakura and now he was paying for it. He wanted to leave this place, to try to make everything right. It felt like a beast living within him, clawing to get out, to find her and make her believe him. That's all he wanted.

He was ready. He was ready to finally settle down, put any thought of revenge behind him and start over. He wanted to be with Sakura now, strange as it may sound. He wanted to rebuild his clan, to start a good life and forget the past. That's all. But that all depended on how Sakura acted and responded.

The sound of the cell door opening caught his attention. He was lying flat on his back on his cot. Sasuke knew it was too early for lunch.

"You have a visitor Uchiha Sasuke."

That was strange. Who would be visiting him now? There was no way it was Sakura. Or could it be her?

Stiffly he stood up and walked over to be placed in his cuffs and led down to the visiting room.

**--------------------------**

The door to Naruto's office opened without a knock and the dark haired, pale eyed girl charged in, in an uncharacteristic fashion.

"Naruto-kun…" she noticed he wasn't there and instead saw Tsunade sitting in his seat, Jiraiya at the edge of the desk. "Where's…?"

Earlier, a bit after Naruto had stormed out of the room the pair had snooped around, trying to see where he had gone too. His chakra could still be felt and they had found him in the room that held each of the past Hokage pictures. He sat on the bench before the pictures, his sad blue eyes staring right into the picture of the stoic looking Minato.

"He's in the room down the hallway. Go to the right and it's the sixth door on the right side." Tsunade explained without looking up. She knew that Hinata would be safe talking to Naruto. The older woman knew everything that was going on between the two and was sure that Hinata had a good reason to see Naruto by the entrance she had made.

Hinata bowed and turned around. "Thank you Tsunade-sama." She called and walked out the door. She turned down the hall and counted the doors in her head. She reached the sixth door and could feel Naruto's chakra. It felt more…depressing than normal and she knew he was obviously not in a good mood. She suddenly felt skeptical about everything.

She didn't knock but instead opened the door. Without making a sound she approached the slumped over figure who sat on the bench. She took a seat next to him and looked over each of the pictures, Tsunade's having recently been added.

They didn't talk for the longest time. It was just Naruto who was feeling a jumble of things, things he couldn't describe let along sort out. His mind was busy still trying to get over the fact that the greatest Hokage the village had seen was his father. He had always noticed some strange resemblance between himself and that man, but never had he suspected anything like this. It seemed too unreal and he was still having a hard time realizing it.

Hinata on the other hand felt elated on the inside. The fact that being with Naruto was okay and her father approved brought her spirits up. But seeing him looking so down made her feel down as well. She didn't want to see him this way. She wanted the bright happy face, the big smile, and the sparkling blue eyes. She didn't like him like this.

But despite the mood they were both in; she couldn't help but place a hand on his.

"Naruto-kun." She spoke in barely a whisper. A smile naturally came as she looked up at his face. "Arigato."

Looking down at her for the first time, he asked, "For what?"

"…For…saving me…"

**1. I said that Kushina died during childbirth but I want people to know that this is NOT ACURATE. Very little is known about Naruto's mother besides her name, what she looks like, and where she came from. It is assumed that she is dead, but that may not be the case. It's uncertain. So don't go thinking that it's true!**

**Now, I know it's irrelevant but so people know, I apparently fractured my pelvis. Please don't ask how you do that, I have no idea how I did. It's nothing serious; it will heal in about three months. No it's not the reason why my updates seem to be late. It might be later since I'll have doctor's appointments. So yeah, it sucks but whatever. And yes, I can still walk lol. **


	40. Release

**Ah, arigato for the reviews minna! I really do enjoy reading them! **

* * *

'_Who the hell could be here?'_

Sasuke pondered, wondering who his visitor could be. He stared at the floor, his face hard with concentration. The white tiles passed by his eyes, yet he didn't feel as though he was seeing them. Instead, he saw people in his head, people whom he thought would visit him. He couldn't come to a solid conclusion and his frown marred, slight frustration falling upon him.

He heard a door open and his wrist were pulled as he entered the visitation room. He picked up his head, cursing the bright white walls and the bright florescent lights. He squinted and looked around, disappointed that he didn't see any sign of pink.

Instead he found one jounin leaning against the wall, his hands shoved into his pockets. His visible eye was closed upon hearing the door open. His masked face turned and his dark eye looked straight at Sasuke. It wasn't apparent if he was smiling or not. Sasuke didn't think so.

The burly guard dragged Sasuke over to Kakashi and finally undid the handcuffs. The dark haired man rubbed his wrists and threw a glare at the guard. The cuffs had been a bit tighter than he would have liked.

"You know the rules." The guard said, his eyes slanted in a permanent glare. "No physical contact, no shouting, no cussin'." He threw both of them a look and walked off.

Sasuke moved and leaned against the wall in a fashion similar to his former teacher. It took a few moments for either of them to say anything. Kakashi was the first to speak.

"They confiscated my book." He sounded like he was in disbelief.

Others would laugh upon hearing the bland comment, but Sasuke simply smirked. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and let out a small, "hn."

"It's about time someone did." He commented while re-opening his dark eyes. He looked out into the room. It was nearly empty aside from the two girls on the other side of the room who, Sasuke noticed, where holding hands under the table. "So why are you here?"

Kakashi sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "Well, I wouldn't visit you without a purpose. And I do have one, though it isn't anything big." He trailed off, which frustrated Sasuke. He wanted to know why the man was there and Kakashi just seemed to be beating around the bush.

More silence, something that was common between the two.

"How's Sakura?"

Shocked by the question, the older man looked over at his former student. Sasuke had his face turned away, his bangs concealing his expression. "Well that's…actually why I came here." Kakashi admitted. Sasuke nodded his head, more to himself than anyone. He remained quiet and waited for Kakashi.

"I was just wondering…" Kakashi said in his usually airy tone of voice. "I know it's not really my business to pry but…what went on between the two of you?"

Not knowing whether to tell him the truth or not, Sasuke replied, "Why do you ask?"

"She's been…acting strange. I've seen her act in many different ways but…this is different. She does nothing but work and train, as though she doesn't believe that she's strong enough. When I asked her she simply told me that working was a good distraction for her. She wouldn't tell me what she was trying to be distracted from though." Kakashi looked at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. "It all started after her visit with you."

The guilt, for one reason or another, invaded Sasuke and washed over him like a bucket of cold water. He didn't know exactly why he felt guilty, besides knowing that he was the one to cause Sakura's current actions. But he had only told her the truth. He had only told her, admitted to her, what he had just discovered. He couldn't tell if hearing about her current state shocked him or not. In a way, he had expected something like this. He had expected her to act rashly about it. Why couldn't she just be happy? Well, there were a lot of reasons to that.

Still, he wasn't sure if he could tell Kakashi what he admitted. How would the man react? Sasuke had been around now long enough to see the kind of bond that the two had forged. They had sort of father-daughter thing going on. He felt mutual about it. It wasn't as though he didn't like it, but it was strange since this man was only there to teach them. Suddenly he was taking care of them. He had never once expected for the man beside him to become so involved in their personal lives.

"It was nothing." Sasuke finally said. "Just something I said."

Kakashi mused to himself just what he would have said. "I see two options as to what you said." He started. "You could have either broken off everything between the two of you, as if saying to 'forget' everything." He made the quote signs in the air. "Or you could have told her your true feelings for her." He said casually as though he had known all along.

Calm and composed, Sasuke replied with a hint of a smirk, "How'd you guess?"

The jounin shrugged his shoulders. "Since the first thing you said to me was "How's Sakura," I figured it couldn't be the first option. I just put it out there. But, though she's been out of whack, she's been highly emotional. Just today she seemed like she wanted nothing more than to catastrate me." His smile was concealed. "And other times she was miserable, or she was happy. She's about as emotional as Ino and it's only been just over a week."

Sasuke kept his head down and out of the corner of his eye he could see the guard advancing towards them. Time was just about up.

"Just tell her…I meant what I said. I'm sure she doesn't believe me." He sounded miserable. The thing was, it was true. He was miserable. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be in jail. But this was his punishment for the actions that he took. He was paying the price not only for taking off, but for all the things he had done, especially to Sakura. The tables have turned and now he was the one suffering in their dysfunctional relationship.

Kakashi pushed himself off the wall. He watched as the guard clasped the cuffs around Sasuke's wrists. "Nah." He said. "I think that's something you will have to tell her. And don't worry about her being taken by anyone else. I don't think there's anyone else out there for her."

With those last words, both parties were steered away from each other. Kakashi out the industrial steel door in hopes of retrieving his book, and Sasuke, out the other end of the room back to his small cell, his annoying cellmate, and guaranteed misery.

**-------------------**

He had been waiting patiently and still was. He had told her to come to the house and he had expected her to when she was done talking to Lee. Maybe they went out somewhere? Who knows? But he was growing impatient and he was consistently putting this off, waiting for her to get there.

Neji was outside in the front entrance of the house, sitting on the long extended porch that curved around the side of the house. His foot tapped impatiently on the ground and he stared out at the front gate, waiting to see her come at any moment.

As if on cue, a head of neatly wrapped twin buns appeared. Tenten's chest heaved slightly. She had run to get here faster. Her time with Lee went on longer than she anticipated but she didn't think Neji would have minded.

Looking forward she saw his impatient face and frowned. It looked like he minded. Oh well, he would have to deal. If this was really important then he should have told her so, instead of telling her to merely show up at his house.

"Sorry Neji." She breathed and held her chest as she approached him. Neji stood up and led the way into the house. She frowned upon his actions but knew that was how Neji got. He wasn't a patient person and he didn't like waiting. She should have anticipated some form of silence. "Pssh." She rolled her eyes as the sound escaped her lips.

"I didn't expect you to take so long." He said, not turning to look back at her. He was leading her through the entrance room and towards the hallway.

"Lee and I got hung up. It's been a while since it was just him and me. I never realized how much I missed that dork." She giggled. "Anyways you said to be here but you never said when. I can come as I please you know." She answered. She walked a bit faster to catch up to his side. "What's going on anyways? Or did you miss me that much?" she teased cutely, a smile on her face.

It was Neji's turn to roll his eyes as a smirk appeared. "In your dreams." He retorted smugly. "But, this is important and I though you should obviously be let in on it. I figured you'd want to be here. At least afterwards."

Curiously Tenten asked, "What do you mean? What's going on?" For some reason she wasn't getting any good vibes from what he was saying and she would be lying if she said her nerves didn't act up in some small way. She was looking at him for an answer but Neji just looked straight on forward as he led her through the house to their destination.

"They will be performing the seal release on me now." He responded. At that time he reached behind his head and started to undo his hitai ate. He took off his headband then proceeded to undo the bandages that covered his forehead.

"You mean…?"

Neji nodded and finished taking the bandages off. The –X- marking his forehead was revealed. Tenten gaped.

"They're taking off the curse seal?" she was in disbelief for some reason. It would obviously happen someday. The head of the Hyuuga family couldn't possibly go on with a curse seal, the marking of a branch family member. She was just shocked now. She had only seen that seal a few times, very rarely in fact. Just the fact that she would see Neji, without the headband, without the wraps, and being able to see his forehead free from any green marking was wonderful in her opinion. It signified the boundaries that would be crossed, going to a mere branch family member, to the head of the family. Something that defined all Hyuuga traditions.

Neji nodded to her question and stopped outside of a closed door. It was the only door in the hallway as far as Tenten could see.

Before they went in, Tenten spoke again. "I understand that you would want me to know about this, but why would you want me here?" she could only think that she could act as support, but that didn't seem like something Neji would need.

"The after affect of having a curse seal removed can be drastic." Neji sighed. Tenten's face looked worried upon hearing these words. "It drains the body of nearly all of its strength and prepares it for the true power of the person to take over. The removal of a curse seal has only been done twice before and both times each person has been bed ridden for at least one day. My guess is that I'll be sleeping a lot, but the person needs close attention.

"With the removal of the seal, the body seems to go…haywire for a bit. With the lack of suppression, my true strength will come out. The seal was designed that if the person is killed, their bloodline will be sealed and all of the secrets of the byakugan cannot be revealed. It was also designed to limit the power of that person, so that no branch family member could be stronger than any main branch member. So once it's gone, that power will seep into my body which can be quite dangerous. It's like blowing a balloon up too fast. It grows too big too fast and the balloon bursts. Too much energy can be released, causing strain on the body."

So far, Tenten didn't like what she was hearing. She blinked a few times. "And you want me here to watch you suffer?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. Neji shook his head no.

"I figured you would want to be at my side." He answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well…yeah…" Tenten said.

Neji opened the door and stepped into the large room. It was dark, the lights having been turned off. Candles were set up around the room, casting shadows and giving off an eerie glow. There were five men, including Hiashi, all circled around a large painted circle, a seal on some sort Tenten guessed. Neji moved and sat, with his knees tucked under him. Tenten took a seat besides him in the same fashion.

Directly across from them Hiashi sat with a serious expression. "Tenten," he said. "I'm sure that Neji explained to you what is about to take place."

She nodded. "Hai, Hiashi-sama."

"Alright. Then if I may ask you to step outside. There is no definite time on how long this will take. Please make yourself at home here. We'll inform you when the procedure is over." Hiashi said. Tenten inclined her head and stood up, taking a quick glance at Neji. He nodded back to her, giving her a look of reassurance.

With a heavy heart, she turned and walked out the door.

**---------------------**

For an hour and a half she had been waiting nervously. She had no idea why she was nervous though. Her palms were sweating and she couldn't find it in herself to sit down. Her legs wouldn't allow that. She had walked around the main Hyuuga home, avoiding the hallway where the process was being held. She had gotten lost twice and had decided to wait in Neji's room instead to avoid further confusion.

She paced around his room and swore she would wear a hole into his floor. She had sat on hit bed then decided not to and started pacing again, rubbing her hands together. It reminded her of those anxious wives you saw in the waiting room, waiting for their husbands or other family members to get out of surgery or for word from the doctor. She now felt bad for them.

But Neji would be fine. She knew that. Hiashi wouldn't let anything horrible happen, he just wouldn't.

Still, she couldn't rest easy until she saw that he was alright.

Another ten minutes passed by before the door opened.

Being supported by his uncle and one of the other men, Neji leaned against them both. Hiashi had an arm secure around his waist and the other had did as well. Both led him over to the bed, practically carrying him there.

His shoes were already off and they didn't bother with his clothes. Tenten pulled the bedcovers back and helped get her fiancé situated on the bed. The one man took his leave.

"He's alright now?" Tenten asked as she looked over the boy. He was pale, he was sweating, and he was already asleep, his breathing heavy.

Hiashi nodded. "Yes." His pale eyes looked over his nephew. "He should sleep the rest of the day and through the night. His energy and chakra levels will act strangely, but that is expected. It's not an easy process, having something that was sealed for so long let out all at once. It's a delicate process. The energy he had before is drained from his body. It's like a cleansing process. In a matter of time though, more energy than his body held before will course through. It will affect everything and send everything out of the normal.

"His body systems will have to work harder to sustain. His heart will beat faster; his lung will have to take in more oxygen. His brain will have to work harder to process everything, and we can only hope that it won't act in a negative way to the dramatic change."

"You mean some of this is all a matter of hope?" Tenten asked.

"Yes. There's no telling how his body will act to the sudden increase in power. When you gain power over time, your body grows with it. But when it's released all at once, it's on its own, fighting to not go into overdrive." Hiashi looked over at the girl. "Neji is strong. He will be just fine, I know it. This process has been successful every time."

Tenten would have been more assured if this process had been done many more times before. Two other people didn't give her an ease. She was just grateful he wasn't the first to have it done. There would be no telling of what could happen.

"I assume that you are going to stay here with him." He received a nod. "Then please, find someone if you need help with anything."

He walked over towards the door. "Would you like to have something sent down? Something to eat or drink?"

"Some tea please." She requested and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Hiashi quietly closed the door behind him.

**-----------------------------**

**Two hours later**

**-----------------------------**

With a moan, Neji opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He was facing the figure that was sitting next to him, leaning back into the headboard reading one of his books that she stole from his small bookshelf. He wanted to sit up but his body ached. His eyes threatened to snap shut again, the exhaustion still there.

Tenten heard the rustling of the bed sheets and looked down at the man. She gasped slightly when she noticed his eyes were open

"You're supposed to be sleeping!" she gasped out and set the book down on the bedside table. "Why are you awake? Is something wrong? Do you need something? Should I get someone?"

Her questions went on and Neji groaned. "My body hurts." He hissed, turning his head over into his pillow. "But other than that I'm fine. I think…the pain just woke me up." He now had full intention of drifting back into a heavy, deep sleep. He wanted to move his arms up to hug the pillow under his head but couldn't find it within him to move at all.

"Well, go back to sleep. You really need it." Neji nodded weakly and seemed to instantly drift off to sleep.

**---------------------------------**

**Next day**

**---------------------------------**

It was early afternoon in the Hyuuga home. It was a pleasant day outside with the sky a nice blue and wispy clouds being tossed about in the summer breeze.

Hinata hummed quietly to herself as she carried a tray of iced tea towards Neji's room.

Neji had just recently woken up. He was very sore and they had a family medic take a look at him already. Though his heart rate was high, it was something expected and they anticipated that it would go back down to normal after he was awake for a few hours.

Knocking politely, Hinata entered after. She smiled at the pair sitting on the bed.

"You sure you're okay?" Tenten had proven to be a worry wart, asking Neji every so often if he needed anything or if he was in any extreme pain. At first he would just answer yes or no, but now he would shake his head or roll his eyes and his answers would come out in frustrated sighs.

"Yes Tenten." He sighed.

"I'm just checking!" the girl bellowed. "You didn't have to stay up the whole night watching you toss and turn erratically with a pained expression!" She glared at him, though it didn't mean anything. It was just to help her get her point across.

"You didn't have to stay up, nor did you have to stay here." He said. "You could have gone home if it bothered you too much." He retorted and thanked Hinata for the tea.

Hinata saw an oncoming attack from Tenten and took caution, waiting for it to blow over before giving the girl her tea.

"You are so insensitive!" Tenten shouted. "You really think I would leave your side when you are in _pain?_ Boy, I will give you something to cringe about!" she held up her fist threateningly.

Neji ignored her threat and sipped his tea calmly. Tenten seethed in his direction and snatched one of the remaining tea cups from the tray and began to guzzle it down.

Taking in a deep breath when he set the cup down, Neji spoke, "Thank you. For staying with me." It was quiet, but it was sincere.

Tenten nearly choked on her drink and took her lips from the ring of the cup. "You're welcome."

Hinata smiled at the both and back away towards the door, wishing to no longer intrude on them. "I'll leave you two." She said and escaped quickly before either of them could say a word.

Tenten turned back to Neji, just looking at him as he took another drink from his tea cup. She had been doing that since he woke up. Just looking at him, waiting to see any sign of pain. That was her alert to help. She had no idea what she would do to help, but she would find a way.

She opened her mouth.

"I said I'm fine. If you ask one more time I will tell you I think I'm going to die because you really are killing me here."

Tenten smiled and crawled up the bed carefully, settling down beside the pale eyed boy. "I wasn't going to ask. I just want to talk to you."

Neji frowned. "Oh." He hated being proven wrong.

"You see," Tenten said and stared down at her finger, twirling the emerald ring around. "When I was talking to Lee, I realized something."

Neji gave her a questioning look then closed his eyes. "And what would that be?"

Tenten leaned back into the headboard of the bed and smiled to herself. "Well, I was thinking and…I decided that…" for some reason she was having a hard time saying this. "I want to get married."

Opening his eyes, Neji turned his head slowly, trying to cringe from the pain, to look at her. "Uh…yes. We've already decided on that."

Tenten shook her head with a giggle. "No, I mean…I want to get married _soon_." She said. Neji threw her a look, raising his eyebrows.

"How soon?" he questioned.

Rolling her eyes towards the ceiling, she answered back. "I was thinking…next month?"

Neji didn't react in a harsh way. He kept his eyes closed and sighed. "Do you know the chaos that would ensue on such a request?" he asked. "The family members would be in a panic trying to organize a wedding on such short notice."

"But it doesn't have to be big! I don't want a big fancy wedding! Neji, I just want to get married. I honestly don't want to wait." She argued back.

"I understand." Neji said back. He tried to sit up and did so, cringing. Tenten reached a hand out to help him, not happy that he was pushing himself into anything. "I understand that you don't want to wait, trust me. But there is so much to plan Tenten. We can't just spring this up out of nowhere."

"Don't you have a time limit? You have to be married in less than three months right?"

"No." he said. "Since I have found someone, I have all the time in the world. Tenten, I already explained to you that the purpose for these marriages is to produce an heir."

Tenten gaped but Neji hurried along before she could say anything.

"And no, that isn't the reason I want to get married. I am because I love you."

With a pang in her chest, Tenten said, "I know, I know that if you didn't become the head of the family, we probably wouldn't be together. We wouldn't be engaged and I would still be watching you from a distance, waiting desperately for you to respond. It's a sad thought." Despite her words she smiled. Even if it was a sad smile.

Neji couldn't help it. "Probably." He admitted. It _was_ a sad thought. He would still be clueless and Tenten would still be suffering. "I'm just sorry that I never figured it out sooner."

Tenten nodded subconsciously. "So why put it off? Why put off this marriage?"

"Because we need time to think. Plan everything. It takes a lot to plan a wedding, even a small one. Not only that but we still have future plans to discuss. When are you going to move in here? Not only that," Neji paused for a bit. "the instant we get married I can almost guarantee that an heir will be expected from that moment. They push that kind of thing, just incase anything were to happen to me. If I died without an heir, there is no telling what could happen. It is only right that Hinata take over, yet who knows. There could be fighting and even bloodshed. So an heir is wanted in a hurry."

Tenten then realized one more thing. Having a kid was a scary thought. She wondered how could really deal with that. Was she ready for that though? Not at the moment. But it didn't stop her from wanting to get married. And true, rushing into it wasn't smart. So she would let up on the date…though not too much.

"How about…two months?"

"Five."

"Wha-…no! Three."

"Four."

"…four. Fine, four months."

"Then in four months, we'll get married." Neji said. Tenten nodded, leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips and noticed that he looked tired.

"Why don't you sleep?" she suggested.

He didn't answer her and pulled her down into the bed. "Same with you. You didn't sleep at all last night did you?"

She shook her head. "I guess not."

She smiled then. In four months, for the first time, she would have a surname.

Hyuuga Tenten.

**---------------------------**

**Over one month later**

**The end of month two**

**----------------------------**

"We have a problem."

Jiraiya looked down at his godson as he declared this, his face serious. Naruto looked up, happy for the distraction. He was in the middle of reading a highly detailed mission report and it was boring him to death. He rubbed his blue eyes.

"Nani?" he asked, his voice sounding tired. He leaned back in his chair and stretched, scratching his stomach in a butch-like fashion.

Tsunade entered the room. "This better be good Jiraiya." She growled with a scowl and propped herself up against the wall, her arms crossed.

"It is woman!" Jiraiya hissed back with a glare. He turned back to Naruto. "One of my sources picked up some useful information. I've had someone keeping an eye out on the sound village," he said and watched as Naruto straightened up when he heard those words, "and it seems that the many remaining shinobi are in an uproar. As far as we can tell, they are planning on powering up to its former glory and going on an all out attack on the surrounding villages. But they plan on going for the hidden villages when they're strong enough."

"That's ridiculous." Naruto said with an angry expression. "They won't stop will they?"

Jiraiya shook his head and glared down at the floor. "It's your decision Naruto. Are we to act upon this or see what happens?"

Flabbergasted, Naruto stuttered. "W-what do you think!? Of course we're going to act on it! I'm not going to let that village do anything to harm others! If they're upset because they lost their leader than so be it! We'll just take all of them out!" The blonde man pumped a fist in the air.

Rolling her eyes at the boys spirit, Tsunade asked, "And what do you plan on doing huh?" Naruto stopped when he heard the question.

"Uh…"

Tsunade got the answer she was expecting. If Naruto wasn't Hokage, he would most likely rounding up a team at the moment and heading out to finish off the sound ninja himself. But this didn't call for the Hokage. So he would have to _think _now as to what to do. She already knew the appropriate thing that he should do, but did he? Judging by his reaction and the dumbfounded look on his face now, that was a negative.

"Why don't you send out a team to observe Naruto? They can gather the information that we need and afterwards we'll go from there." She suggested and observed his face.

"I got!" Naruto said suddenly, acting as if he didn't hear a word she said. "I'll send out a team to observe the sound. Then we can see what they're doing and we can go from there!" he chuckled to himself, a look of pride creeping upon him. Tsunade frowned and glared at him.

"I just said that." She muttered to herself and watched as Jiraiya chuckled and patted the boy on the back.

"Good idea." The sannin said and winked towards Tsunade. She returned the look with an obscene hand gesture. "And if I could make a suggestion." He put in. "It would probably be best if you had a good strategist on that team."

**----------------------**

Three days later Shikamaru stood in Naruto's office with three other shinobi he didn't know. He'd seen two of them before and the last, he recognized by her clothes, was a medic.

Naruto looked up when all four ninja had arrived. "I have a mission for the four of you." He said. He then went on to explain the situation at hand, telling them everything he had gathered from Jiraiya about the sound village.

"So I need you four to check everything out. I want you to observe them and gather as much information as you can." Naruto explained. He was looking directly at Shikamaru. "This mission will last one month. Shikamaru, I'm appointing you team leader. Do any of you have any questions?"

They all remained silent.

"Alright. Here's the folder with all the information you need. No one is to know about the purpose of this mission. You leave in half an hour." He said. They all bowed and turned to leave. "Shikamaru, stay back."

The genius did as he was told and stood before Naruto, his hands in his pocket and he was slouching as usual. He couldn't help but wonder why Naruto put him on this mission.

"I'm sorry man." Naruto said looking directly at him. "I didn't want to send you but my options for someone with brains like yours weren't good. I need you to go because of your quick thinking. And you are one of our best strategists." He found it hard to send Shikamaru out on this. The man had his pregnant girlfriend to look after. He had planned on giving Shikamaru a nice bonus for taking this mission as a thanks. He knew with a baby on the way, money was important to the lazy man.

"I understand." Shikamaru sighed. He couldn't be angry with Naruto and he could tell the blonde didn't want to send him. It was one month. It wouldn't be horrible but he couldn't help but worry about Ino.

"Don't worry about Ino." Naruto said, trying to reassure the man. "We'll take care of her." He smiled genuinely. Shikamaru nodded and turned, heading out the door.

He didn't bother to rush to get home. He knew that he should, he would have to pack and he had limited time. But he didn't want to tell Ino that he was leaving. There was no way that she would respond well.

When he got home he noticed that he had twenty minutes to pack and meet his team at the gates. He was almost guaranteed to be late.

The front door opened to reveal Ino sitting on the couch with her legs tucked underneath her. She had a bag of chips that he recognized to be the same ones Chouji always ate. Also there was a box of strawberry pokey, open, on the table in front of her. She was staring at the television, laughing as she watched some movie.

Shikamaru ducked his head down and went straight into their bedroom where he began to pack his traveling bag. He carelessly tossed in his clothes and moved to his weapons were he stocked them in the bag along with a few scrolls. He unzipped his vest and pulled his shirt up over his head, leaving his torso naked.

"Oh la la." Ino purred from the doorway. Her eyes were half lidded as she watched the man grab a new shirt. Shikamaru had to change his shirt because the one he was previously wearing had the leaf village plate on its sleeve. He couldn't go undercover with that.

"Where ya going?" Ino asked with a confused look. She noticed his bag was full.

Shikamaru zipped his vest up over the new shirt and picked up his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. "A mission." He replied.

Ino frowned, her lips pouting slightly. "What kind of mission?" she inquired.

"Information gathering." Shikamaru wished that telling her that he would be gone for a month would be easier.

"Oh." Ino said, sounding disappointing. "Well, how long is it for?" she then asked.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and moved past her towards the kitchen. He started scouting for something to take with him. Ino was hot on his heels.

"How long Shikamaru?" she demanded, her voice rising.

He didn't want to tell her, but not telling her was extremely unfair. "For…a month." He said quietly and waited for her to explode.

"A month!? A month, why did you accept? Shika you can't go away for a month!" she hollered. "What rank is it?" Her blue eyes were on fire now.

"A." he answered and zipped his bag up and once again slung it over his shoulder. He had to start moving if he didn't want to be late.

"An A rank? Why did you take it!? A ranks are dangerous Shika! And you'll be gone for a month!? Why are you going? Couldn't you have denied?"

"No Ino, I couldn't." Not only would he leave a huge burden on Naruto, he needed the money. Ino was earning minimal money from the academy and her mother and he was the big provider. "Besides, higher ranked mission pay better." He answered stupidly.

"You're doing this for the _money_? Shika what if you get hurt, or killed for that matter!" her eyes were tearing at the thought. "No amount of money is worth it! This is ridiculous, don't go!" she pleaded.

Shikamaru had never thought that she would take it this hard. And she had reasons to. He was starting to think that her pregnant hormones were kicking in.

"Ino, please I have to leave. My team is waiting for me." He said as calmly as he could.

"You're leaving already!? No! You come in and tell me you're leaving on an A ranked mission for a month and just head right back out the door! Shika…" she didn't even know what to say to him. She was scared. Afraid that he wouldn't come back. Even if he was just supposed to gather information, there was no telling what could go wrong. "You jerk. You have a child on the way and yet you're still going to go on a dangerous mission?" Tears streamed down her cheek and Shikamaru reached to wipe them away. Ino backed away from his hand.

"I'm sorry Ino." He said. He leaned down to give her a kiss but she stubbornly turned her head and his lips landed on her cheek. He felt devastated by how she was taking this. He felt guilty and he hated it. He knew it was pointless. So he turned around. "I love you." He called to her.

"If you walk out that door I will never forgive you!" she threatened with a tearful glare. Shikamaru didn't have the heart to look back at her and hesitated before opening the door and stepping out.

He hated that he had to leave her on a bad note.

The door closed and Ino sobbed. She was terrified that he would get hurt. That he wouldn't come back. She didn't want him to go. "F-fine! If you want to go and get killed it's not my fault!" she instantly regretted her words.

Shikamaru was standing on the other side of the door, his legs not willing to move. He heard what she had shouted and the words struck him like needles. He sighed miserably.

"Why can't you see I'm doing this for you Ino?"

**-----------------------------**

**One month later**

**The end of the third month**

**-----------------------------**

Sakura's plan was to get home, eat something, change, and then whisk herself away to the training grounds.

Lately the girl seemed happier, any troubling thoughts no longer haunting her mind. She worked at decent hours instead of overworking, though she still trained more than necessary. But she was a shinobi who wanted nothing more than to become stronger. It wasn't uncommon, that was for sure. Though today her mood was mellow. There was only one reason to her mixed feelings. Sasuke was being released tomorrow.

She opened the front door to the apartment and the first thing she saw was a lump on the couch. His chest was rising and falling as he slept peacefully, his hands laced across his chest. A huge swell of happiness engulfed Sakura when she saw him.

With the intention of waking him up, Sakura charged over to the couch and forcefully sat on top of him. He stirred with a groan, rubbing his tired eyes. "You little brat." He chuckled, smirking. He rubbed his hands over his face and rested back into the couch pillow.

"When'd you get back?" Sakura asked and slipped off of him. Genma sat up, giving her room to sit next to him.

"Not too long ago." He answered. I just came in here and collapsed on the couch. My room was too far away." He answered.

Sakura poked his side. "Lazy ass."

"Damn straight." Genma smiled. "You look hell of a lot better now than you did before I left. Feeling better?" he questioned.

Sakura nodded her head. "A lot. All feelings for me are mutual now."

"Really? When does our non Prince Charming get out of the slammer?"

Sakura giggled at the nickname. "Tomorrow." She said and stood up off of the couch.

"That soon? I've been gone for a while. Well, are you going to see him?" Genma sat up straight now, his arm being slung across the back of the couch.

Sakura moved to the kitchen and set a kettle of water on the stovetop and turned it on. "I don't know. It'll be…awkward if I do. Besides, I don't know if I want to see him."

"I see. You act like you've gotten over him." Genma said.

Sakura returned to the room, leaning against the frame of the archway between the kitchen and living room. She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm far from it, that I know. And I honestly don't know what to do. I mean, I want to forgive him, but at the same time I'm pissed at him. I don't know what to do." She sighed.

Genma scratched his chin. "Never come to me for love advice, please. That's not my specialty. I know the same goes for Kakashi. Hm, you're stuck with two love stupid men. No wonder you're having problems." He joked.

"You don't even know the half of it." She mumbled and drummed her fingers on her upper arm. "Love is stupid." She rolled her eyes.

Genma raised an eyebrow. "If love is stupid, then you stupid Sasuke don't you?"

Behind her the kettle on the stove whistled loudly and Sakura took this time to escape. "Yeah, I stupid Sasuke."

**------------------------**

The day couldn't come fast enough. The past three months had been miserable, depressing, sad, nerve wrecking, and he just about wanted to smash his head into the wall any chance he got. He wanted to get to the outside world once again. To start over and separate from this life of revenge and crime. He knew what he wanted and he knew that he had a huge chance of not getting it.

After he changed his clothes, the last thing he did was secure his chokuto in one of his belt loops and stepped out into the lobby of the police station. He had already been checked out and he headed straight for the doors, his freedom so close.

He opened the door with brute force and let it close behind him. He stood there, looking around at the bright afternoon sky. A small smile played upon his lips and he felt better than he had in a long time. That place was really getting to him and he couldn't tell any better than he could now. Just the taste of the outside, the freedom was wonderful. He had done his time and now he was out to do better this time around.

"It's good to see you on the other side of those bars Sasuke."

Inclining his head to the side, Sasuke saw three people, all of whom were his teammates. Well, two were, one was technically his ex-teammate. Naruto grinned at the man, his blue eyes shining.

Kakashi was the one to say those words and grinned behind his mask, his one visible eye scrunching up. The last one was Sai, his eyes closed and the classic smile playing on his lips. Sasuke knew all too well that that smile wasn't sincere in anyway and honestly he was shocked to even see the boy there. It wasn't as though they shared a past or were friends at all.

Naruto walked forward to Sasuke and his hand came down onto the boys shoulder. "Good to see you smile." He chuckled. Sasuke did just that, he smiled at his friend.

"I've changed now. For the better." He said.

Naruto seemed relieved. "That's good. I was afraid I put you in there and you would come out in worse shape than before. Anyways, it's not over yet. No missions for you I'm afraid." He said. Sasuke's smile disappeared and he glowered at Naruto who was still grinning like a fool. "And you're on house arrest again. But don't worry! You get to stay with me at the mansion! Isn't it great?"

"Wonderful." Sasuke said sarcastically and peered around the boy. He wanted to know where Sakura was. It didn't look like she was there and he was anxious to see her, whether she wanted to or not.

Kakashi looked up and noticed the look Sasuke had. "Naruto, you better get back to your office before Shizune finds you missing. She's not a very forgiving woman." He said.

The Hokage's eyes widened. He had snuck out without anyone knowing that he left. The problem was that he left a stack of papers, not filled out, unread, and unsigned. He would be in trouble if anyone found him slacking off.

"Ah, your right! Um…" he looked at Sasuke.

"Don't worry. He still has to get his things from the Uchiha home. I'll bring him over when he's got everything." Kakashi said. He made a motion for the boy to get moving. Naruto nodded and turned around, speeding off towards the large red building.

Kakashi knew what Sasuke wanted and had purposely sent Naruto away. "She's at our old training ground." He said, waving it off.

Sasuke looked up at the older man and nodded. "Thanks." He said quickly before turning, running off to find the one person he wanted to talk to.

Kakashi rounded on the last of the teammates. "You can come with me Sai." He said. The boy looked up with a blank face. "I think we're going to have an extra guest with us for dinner tonight, apart from you, and I'll need help in the kitchen. Genma is not allowed in."

**------------------------------**

She almost felt bad. Almost. The tree lay many feet in front of her, splintered and broken apart, lying limply on the ground. She hadn't meant to hit it _that_ hard but it just seemed to happen. Trees helped her relieve stress.

Sakura was sitting upright against another tree (this one unharmed) and was breathing heavily due to her strenuous training. She had taken a break, only so she could get right back up and go at it again.

It was in that instant that she heard the footsteps and the soft 'thump' as the person sat on the opposite side of the tree. They didn't bother to mask their chakra and she could tell right away who is was. She would never forget that chakra signature.

"Sasuke." She breathed out.

"Sakura." He said back. "I know you might not want to, but we really need to talk."

He was right, she knew that much. And she was ready to listen to him, to hear what he had to say, and she was also ready to cooperate.

"Aright."

He suddenly didn't know what to say. Talking wasn't his specialty and he tried to form some words.

"I'm sorry."

Oh, that was great.

"Heh. Are you now? And you think that's really going to make up for everything?"

"No. I don't think anything can."

"You're damn right. I don't know what to think Sasuke."

"Look, we've been through this before. You know I'm sorry, I know you're angry."

"So what is there to talk about?"

"I need you to believe me." He sounded agitated.

"Believe what?" Her voice matched his.

"That I love you."

"…"

"…I knew it…"

"No. I just…alright, it's hard to believe, but how do I respond to that?"

"…I don't know…"

"Well neither do I!"

They were now at a standstill.

"What do you plan on doing now?" she asked him.

Normally he would have just shrugged but she couldn't see him. "I'm not sure since you don't believe me. I had plans for the two of us."

"………what if I said I do believe you…………"

"I'd fine _that_ hard to believe."

"Well it's a hard thing to concept Sasuke! I mean…it's you!" she didn't mean to sound mean. Only honest.

"I know."

"…"

"…"

"…you've changed."

"How so?"

"You don't seem as cold as before. I mean, you're telling me that you love me."

"I guess that's a change."

"Are you smiling?"

"…slightly…" he admitted.

"Well I'm not."

"Tell me how to fix that."

"…tell me your plans."

"……I plan on changing everything. I can remember, back when I was young. Before my family was murdered and everything seemed alright. I was happy, I smiled, and I got along with other kids. I was normal, not some kid in a tight shell pent on revenge and power. I want to be something like that again."

"You mean you want to be happy. To smile for no reason and to laugh out loud."

"…yeah…"

"Then do it. It's hard to change Sasuke, but it's easier to change back into something you've already been."

"…"

"That's the kind of Sasuke I want to see. I want you to be happy."

"You want me to be happy?"

"…yes."

"Then marry me Sakura."

He said it so simply, so casually.

"I…"

"You are wearing the ring aren't you?"

Yes she was. It was on her pinky, she wore it everyday.

"Yes. But I…I'm not…"

"I can't force you. If you don't want to just say no."

"…"

Sasuke closed his eyes. She didn't say anything and that caused a smirk to appear on his face. He should have known his chances were very slim. He _had_ known that but that chance was still there wasn't it?

A shadow overcastted him. He opened his eyes and saw Sakura standing above him. She fell down to her knees. He had his legs spread apart, his arms resting on top of them. She had fallen in-between his legs and was close to him, their faces so close.

Her eyes were glossy, the bright emerald staring into the deep onyx. She felt like crying, whether it was because she was upset or happy, she wasn't sure. She was biting her lip.

"How can I believe you?" her voice trembled slightly.

Sasuke lifted her face, her chin between his fingers. "Because I don't lie."

"I know you don't lie. I mean, it's just too good to be true. We've been through so much. I'm amazed that my feelings for you are still here. After everything, I shouldn't even want to be around you yet I go crazy when I can't see you."

Sasuke chuckled slightly. "Love is crazy. I just found that out."

A smile naturally found its way onto the girl's face and Sasuke's released her chin. "You really have changed."

"Yeah."

She giggled and he smiled. This was how it was supposed to be.

Life was long road, filled with potholes and hills, twists and turns. It was paved and made of dirt and rocks and there were countless forks in that road. They were just some things that you had to **flow** along with. But after all **of** the obstacles, there seemed to be a part that was a smooth and straight, easy going. That was just how **life** was.

She was supposed to be angry at him. She had told herself that she was to be angry with him when she saw him. But that was now impossible. He did things, without doing a thing. He made her heart swell, he gave her butterflies, and he made her smile…all without doing a damn thing. It was maddening. But it was love. True love.

"I…want to marry you."

* * *

**Omg. I wrote all twenty-one pages in one day? Go me!**

**I know you all enjoyed that one. **

_**I have a quiz for everyone!**_

**What do you like to be referred to as? (**Kitty or Ebil-chan)

**What would be your dream food dish? (**Chocolate ice-cream, chocolate chips, hot fudge, chocolate whipped cream, a fudgy brownie and chocolate chunk cookie on the side)

**If you could own Naruto and all of its characters for one day, what would you do? (**I'd have to write a story to answer this one)

**What is your quest in life? (**To scout out the magical leopluradon and go to candy mountain. And own an elephant --)

**What would your superhero name be and what would be your power/weakness? (**The Masked Chocolateir and my power would be chocolate manipulation. My weakness would be spinach.)


	41. Start over

**I can't believe how many people thought that the story was over. Hell, it's a good amount of chapters from being over. Believe me. Trust me. Love me. Lol. **

**Don't forget, there is a sequel to this. Though how long it will take for me to get up (once Flow of Life is done) I can't say. I DO have other stories that I have to pay attention to as well. **

**Anyways: the lyrics are from the song **_**Forgiven**_**, which is sung by **_**Within Temptation**_**. Their songs really do just fit in!**

* * *

_Last time…_

"_You want me to be happy?"_

"…_Yes."_

"_Then marry me Sakura."_

**--------------------------------**

**Chapter 41**

**--------------------------------**

"I…want to marry you."

Her words were hesitant, reluctance in her voice. Sasuke's eyes were focused intensely on her, knowing she was going to continue on. He could hear it, it was evident in her voice that there was something else wrong.

"But…"

**Couldn't save you from the start  
Love you so it hurts my soul  
Can you forgive me for trying again?  
Your silence makes me hold my breath  
Oh, time has passed you by**

"But?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing in the slightest. Sakura leaned back on her knees, putting a small amount of distance between them.

"I'm just…" she had no idea how to respond. The words were jumbled in her throat, not in order and not leaving her mouth. She was confused. She didn't know what to do and at the moment she was being pulled in two directions. Two things that she had to decide between. Love and trust.

She was sure that she loved him, there was no doubt. But the fact remained that her trust for him wasn't fully there. She wasn't sure how much trust she had for him, if she had any at all. It was hard to tell.

Of course though, how could he be so certain of his love? Yes, she knew that once you felt that you were in love, you were very certain of it. But was that the case for everyone? Everyone was different, and each person's perspective on a complex topic like emotions was no exception. Plus he had sounded so sincere when he said it. And, as he said, he didn't lie. That was the honest truth.

So what was she to do?

Her heart told her to go with him, to love him to her fullest and to trust him. Her mind though, told her to be cautious. There was no telling what he might do in the future. Twice he left her. And both times, it seemed as though he did it without any hesitation. Could it be possible that that could happen again? Not that he would necessarily leave the village, but leaving her in general. What if he realized in time that his love wasn't true? That he didn't want to marry her?

One thing that scared her the most was the fact that so easily, he could find someone else to have a child with. Someone else to restore his nonexistent clan with. It was possible. He had made it clear on more than one occasion that he was with her before so that he could restore his clan. Those words had stung and now they seemed to be setting into her, sending out a message, telling her to be wary. She needed a way to make sure that he wasn't lying. A way that would prove that he is one-hundred percent being honest with her.

**Ooo, for so long I've tried to shield you from the world  
Ooo, you couldn't face the freedom on your own  
Here I am  
Left in silence**

"It's hard Sasuke." She said after a long pause of thinking. Her eyes shone in the afternoon sun and the light breeze brushed her hair back out of her face. To Sasuke, she looked uncertain and, he was sure, a little bit scared. He took a deep breath and inhaled the crisp scent of the breeze, the smell of grass. It was a scent he had missed for so long. It smelled better on the outside, instead of behind a chained fence.

"Alright. Sakura, I just need to know how to convince you. I don't understand why you can't just believe me and be happy." His voice was saturated with irritation. This in no way helped the situation as Sakura threw him a dark look.

"You really think it's going to go like that! Trust me, I want nothing more than to forgive you and be happy with you but I can't Sasuke! I just can't! It's not that simple!" she shouted and inched back away, just a few more paces. She curled her legs to her chest, her own personal barrier and protection. Sure it wasn't much, but she just felt that she needed someway to feel as though there was something to protect her from his words. She had learned that if she wasn't prepared, any word that falls from the man's mouth could be painful, even if it was unintentional.

Sasuke didn't say a word and redirected his gaze, staring into the woods. He focused on a squirrel that was prancing along in the grass, looking for something to eat. For some odd reason he found himself thinking of that squirrel, wondering what it had to live for. Did have a family that it was supplying for? Did it have problems, like him? Was it struggling, or was it living peacefully and happily? Was it some happy little critter? Or did it have issues, similar to what he was going through?

Then he stopped.

Oh dear God, did he just compare himself to a _squirrel_? Now _that_ was just sad. He really had to get his head together now.

Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair and scowled at the ground. He couldn't give up, that was one thing. Maybe it was some sort of life structure, but this was his next goal. This girl, this woman in front of him. He was so certain that he loved her. In all of his lifetime, he would have never thought that this would happen. She was the annoying girl who swooned over him. The weak one who always got in some predicament and needed saving. She was a classic example of a damsel in distress. The kind of girl he would never dream of going after.

**You gave up the fight  
You left me behind  
All that stands forgiven  
You'll always be mine  
I know deep inside  
All that stands forgiven**

But as he though to himself, he realized (or maybe not, this seemed like something he'd known for a long time now) that that description wasn't Sakura. That was the old Sakura, the young girl he had grown up to know. And in the past months that he had been in the village, his view had been changed completely. She didn't _swoon_ over him anymore. Instead, she silently adored him, loving him in a quiet presence. She wasn't _as_ _annoying_. She still had some times where she could get on his nerves (now for instance) but it was understandable, not to mention she was a girl. And she wasn't _weak_ anymore. She was strong after years of brutal training (what would you expect out of someone who put up with Tsunade for so long?) and she was amazing. She had amazing medical techniques, amazing strength, amazing intelligents. The list could go on. She wasn't a born ninja genius like he was, but she had talent.

And as he looked at her, at her face that was so mixed with feelings, he noticed the beauty of her. Bright chartreuse colored eyes. Unique hair that shone in the sunlight, long and silky. A body that many would kill for. Her skin, so soft, he knew from holding her times before, pale but perfect. He couldn't find anything he didn't like, even if he tried.

Despite all of that, he really didn't care about looks. Sure, having someone decent looking was preferable, but it just didn't matter to him. Still, he knew that Sakura was pretty. She was striking in a unique way.

He didn't want anyone else.

And now, he didn't know what to do.

"What Sakura? What can I do to convince you? What can I do to prove it to you? What the hell do I have to do? Just tell me alright, and I'll do it." He couldn't believe the amount of words falling from his lips. It was more than he was used to, but it was all necessary. He couldn't screw this up.

Softly, she answered, "I-I don't know. Damnit I don't know!" she didn't know what else to tell him. She didn't know what he could do to convince her. She was on the border line of being convinced and not convinced. She looked at him with big glossy eyes, as if asking him for help. He only stared back, his eyes holder far less emotions than her. Maybe there was some way. One way, that could possibly help.

"How about we start," she started, taking a break to go back over what she wanted to say. "How about we start, by getting you to understand." She suggested hesitantly.

He agreed in a silent manor and rested against the tree behind him. If this would help, he would endure it.

Sakura took a deep breath and started. "I know, for a fact, that you know what it's like to come home and find everything quiet. To find everything you lived for taken away." She said, her eyes looking straight through him. She could see everything. She could read him, read through the agitated look on his face. She could see what he was feeling. This, she knew, was astounding since he was one of the hardest people to read (besides Sai.) He never let anything show and it seemed like he was allowing his emotions to be let out, if only in the slightest.

Above in the sky, the wispy clouds floated by in the breeze, the sun shining brightly. The rays beamed down on the two, giving them both a blinding glow. Sakura continued on.

**Watched the clouds drifting away  
Still the sun can't warm my face  
I know it was destined to go wrong  
You were looking for the great escape  
To chase your demons away**

Once she started, she found her words floating along, coming out easier than she could hope for. "I know that feeling too. You," she laughed bitterly, "I don't understand how you do it. You've taken nearly everything I have from me. You took my family, you took my heart, you _stole_ my soul without even knowing it. From the first time I told you I loved you, to the last time I said it, you've taken so much from me." She took a deep breath, trying to keep herself still.

"I've only tried to give you everything in return. I gave you my love, my protection, my kindness, my friendship. I gave you my time, my trust, my strength, everything I could offer. I gave you _me_, Sasuke. So how would you feel to have given everything you could and watch it be thrown away, not even looked at or appreciated? To be stepped on, to be disregarded, to be _ridiculed, insulted, thrown away, and used!_" Her breathing became heavy as she felt everything she felt for him flowing wildly through her body. She could feel the heat from her anger and passion, and the frost from her cold bitterness. She was angry at him, and yet she wanted to hold him tight.

**Ooo, for so I long I've tried to shield you from the world  
Ooo, you couldn't face the freedom on your own  
Here I am  
Left in silence**

"I don't understand why you would love me. I don't understand why you would want me. Sasuke, you were the person who tried to forget everything about us weren't you? You wanted to forget Naruto, and Kakashi, and everything about your old home at one time. How can I be certain that you aren't that way still? It's so hard to conceive the thought of you, so bent on revenge and power, would actually try to love someone."

Her words cut him deep, filling his mind with the truth that he always blinded, never bothered to care about. His eyes, half lidded, sank to the ground moodily.

"Tell me, what are you trying to accomplish by telling me all of this? By telling me that you want to be happy, with me of all people, and that you love me and that you want to marry me? What benefit can you get, besides a new heir? It's not like you alright. You should be fighting Naruto so you can go on missions. You should be training with Kakashi. You shouldn't be sitting here, trying to get me to believe you."

Sasuke interjected her. He smirked at the ground, the look in his eyes cold. His bangs covered his coal orbs, giving him an even darker look. He laughed, shortly and quietly, in an astringent way. "You really are stupid."

That, he knew, was no way to convince her of anything.

She stared at him, eyes wide and her mouth gaping open. She couldn't believe the words that he just said and now, and it was her turn to listen to him.

"You've told me," Sasuke said, "that all I keep thinking about is the past. You said that I have to forget the past and move on. Well now, who's not doing that? You're focusing on the person I was in the past. Like you said, people change. You said that I changed, and yet you aren't even thinking of who I am now. All you keep thinking about is what I've done in the past, who I was in the past. Let it go…"

"Yeah but who you were in the past reflects on who you are now!"

"I understand that!" his voice was raised, deep and overpowering. She cringed back in the tiniest but kept and straight, strong face. She wouldn't back down from him. "Sakura, I understand everything." He said, more gently this time. "I understand where you are coming from. I get what you're saying! I know why you're pissed, and you have every reason to. I know why you have no trust for me! That's perfectly understandable! But you aren't listening to me and seeing me as I am now right in front of you."

**You gave up the fight  
You left me behind  
All that stands forgiven  
You'll always be mine  
I know deep inside  
All that stands forgiven**

A lingering silence developed. They stared at each other, their eyes narrowed into narrow slits, a glaring contest of sorts. The wind picked up, blowing harder. Leaves swiveled around them, blowing their hair in all sorts of directions but neither of them noticed or cared.

Sakura too her time to study him.

She looked him over. He looked the same, he was Sasuke. The black hair that had a bluish glow in the sun, the dark eyes that could change to crimson in a second, the pale skin that made him look like he sat indoors all day. His clothes, ones that he felt comfortable in. He had kept his style, similar to what he had when he was with Orochimaru. Baggy white shirt, open at the top to expose his chiseled chest, and dark, navy blue pants that were very similar to his old ones. He had the same high top sandals and the same arm plates. The only thing that was significantly different was the absence of the large purple bow, which was now substituted with a much smaller black one.

So this was Sasuke now. He looked basically the same, but she knew he was different. It wasn't in his appearance, but in his personality. The thing was, he now had one.

Ha, small joke at a serious time.

He seemed nicer, more open. He wasn't the frozen block of ice. He wasn't a harsh blizzard that you could find yourself struggling in. Now, he was like the melting snow in spring. It was a time of change, when everything got warmer. New things blossomed and it was a time of survival. You either lived or died then, having to survive the last cold spurs and the flooding of melting snow and downpours of rain. It was change and reconstruction.

This was the Sasuke sitting in front of her.

**I've been so lost since you've gone  
Why not me before you?  
Why did fate deceive me?  
Everything turned out so wrong  
Why did you leave me in silence?**

Those two, sitting, staring at each other. They were different people from their old selves. They didn't know each other well, and it was all about time in getting to learn about them, understanding each other.

It felt like they were meeting each other for the first time.

And at that instant, Sakura held her small hand out, offering it to him.

Sasuke looked at her hand, then up at her face. She was smiling gently, looking at him, not through him. The look in her eyes was warm and understanding.

"I think what we have to do now, is start over."

**You gave up the fight  
You left me behind  
All that stands forgiven  
You'll always be mine  
I know deep inside**

He got what she was saying. They had to meet one another again, learn everything about each other again. They had to start over from the beginning.

He took her hand in his.

"Yeah. I guess so."

It was a formable plan, something that could get them closer. They would work together, re-learn everything about each other. And if possible…

…they would fall in love all over again.

**All that stands forgiven**

**--------------------------**

Ino was, for sure, not happy in any way.

Sure, it was exactly one month to the day that Shikamaru left. And she knew just as well as any shinobi out there that it was rare for missions to get done with at the exact time they should. The teams (or individual) was usually either early (if they were lucky) or late.

But this blonde just happened to be thinking the worst.

Her troubled mind had filled with torturous possibilities of things that could have happened to Shikamaru. It was stupid, she knew, to think that something went wrong. He was due to come back today. There was no specific time as to when he was to come back, so she had no reason to worry. And even if he wasn't back tomorrow, she knew she shouldn't worry.

So tomorrow came. He hadn't come back. For the next week she was a worry wart.

She was called in, recruited was a better word, to go with Tenten, Hinata, and Sakura to one of the few dress shops in the village. She was miserable the whole time, partly because of her worries over Shikamaru, and partly over the fact that she would have to watch the girls try on dresses, getting things ready for Tenten's wedding. Another reason she was miserable was because she was currently just over seven months pregnant, sporting a large stomach, and unable to try on her bridesmaid dress.

It was currently October and Ino was due to have her baby on the 3rd of December. That gave her about six weeks until she was due. Tenten had arranged to have the wedding a few weeks after Ino had the baby, so that her friend could be in her wedding party.

Ino was sitting in a chair against the wall of the small room where different changing stall lined up. She was frowning, holding her stomach as her foot tapped impatiently on the carpeted floor. She bit at her thumb with anxiety, wanting nothing more than to leave this place and go find some food to calm her nerves. Food always helped her stay calm for some reason.

Tenten was next to her, shifting through a book with the many different ranges of dresses that the store possessed. She turned each page with rushed haste, her eyebrows pulled together in slight frustration.

"I'm not sure if this is right." The brunette said for what seemed like the millionth time. Ino sighed beside her, having heard those words too many times.

"Well, decide now what you are going to do!" she shouted unintentionally. Everything was just getting to her and it bothered her to no end.

At the moment, as Sakura and Hinata were trying on dresses, Tenten was frustratingly debating with herself whether she should have a traditional wedding or if she should go with the new wedding trend that everyone in the country seemed to be going with now. Despite some people staying true to the traditional weddings, many people have been having more modern weddings that came from a different part of the world. (1) It was starting to adapt in their portion of the Earth and it was a popular route that people were taking when planning their weddings.

Tenten of course wanted to have a more modern wedding, since she had heard about the new trend and had taken a liking to it. But she wasn't sure how Neji's family would react, whether they would like it or not. She couldn't decide and she wanted to know whether it would be appropriate to have something that went against traditions.

"Tenten, you shouldn't worry." Hinata spoke as she emerged from one of the stalls. She was sporting a pale yellow, halter top dress that stopped short just above her knees. She moved over towards the three way mirror and turned to the side, examining the dress from all angles.

Ino scrutinized from her seat, finding that she liked the style of the dress, but not the color. If she were to wear it, it would clash horribly with her hair.

Tenten looked up and smiled. "I know, I just can't help it. I mean, your family is a big deal to me. So I'm really concerned about everything. I'm glad that they are offering to help me with the planning. I was afraid I'd have to do a lot of this on my own. Heaven knows that Neji isn't much of a help." She shook her head and thought of her fiancée who was more than likely training at the moment.

"Well," Hinata started and proceeded to turn. She faced Tenten who looked over the dress thoughtfully.

"Can someone help me?" Sakura called from her stall. No one moved and after a moment. Ino sighed dejectedly and stood up from her seat, kicking her legs forward to move after her swollen stomach. She waddled over to the stall and opened the door, stepping in.

"Anyways," Hinata started once more. "My cousin, Ririn. She had a more modern wedding. There was no protest so please, you have nothing to worry about."

"Right. But remember when they met me, they didn't seem to take a liking to me. I'm just worried and I know I'm worrying over some simple thing, but everything has turned into a big deal. I'm trying not to let their thoughts make me a coward. I mean, I usually don't care what people think, but this is really important and I have to consider what your family thinks." Tenten explained. She frowned as she took in every detail of the dress and had the same thought that Ino had had earlier.

"Can you try the blue one Hinata? Sakura was trying the green one I think." Tenten said and sighed to herself, putting her head in her hands. Hinata smiled sympathetically and returned to her dressing room.

"I don't understand you Sakura." Ino's voice said from the half closed door. Tenten looked up, almost dropping the magazine she had on her lap. "How did you manage this?"

"I don't know." said Sakura's muffled voice.

"Well I can't get it. It's really stuck." Ino sounded irritated but at the same time amused. Tenten raised an eyebrow and cautiously rose from her seat, unsure of what she would find. She walked over to the stall and opened the door so she could peek in.

It was awkward to look at and gave Tenten the distinct feeling of being bound in a straight jacket. Sakura had somehow managed, as she was getting the dress over her head, to have her arms stuck strangely over her pink head and for some reason she had a small mound of her salmon colored locks trapped within the zipped on the back of the dress. How she did it, they would probably never know.

Ino was trying to get her hair out. "It's not coming out. I think it's useless." She sighed.

"Well you have to get me out of this somehow!" Sakura shouted through the sea green material, frustrated and thoroughly embarrassed.

Tenten watched with mixed emotions. Hinata joined, now sporting a long elegant blue dress. She gave a small sound of shock when she saw what had happened. There was no use in helping either since they would probably get in the way and make things worse.

"Sakura it's not working! I think I may have to cut…"

"No!"

"…your hair. It's either that or you are walking around with a dress in your hair for the rest of your life!" Ino concluded.

"This is ridiculous." Sakura growled.

"You're telling us." Ino said exasperated. "Can someone go ask someone for scissors? And explain why so they won't think we're going to mutilate their dresses."

"Ino you are not cutting my hair! It took forever to grow out long again." Sakura said desperately.

Tenten had walked away to find someone and Hinata watched on helplessly, trying to look away. It was just too painful to watch.

"Well, this is your fault Sakura."

**-----------------------**

"Did you cut your hair?"

"…"

Kakashi received the coldest glare he had ever gotten from the pink haired kunoichi, her hair only a mere few inches shorter. Her eyes were cold and dark as she cursed him to hell in her head.

Kakashi then slinked out of the room, knowing that he shouldn't have said anything and knowing that he would be sleeping on the couch tonight.

He made a note to warn Genma who was approaching the kitchen were the medic was preparing dinner in dead silence.

"Genma don't…"

"Hey did you cut your hair?"

Kakashi shook his head as he walked away towards the bathroom. A second later there was a tortured cry from his friend.

**------------------------**

Ino was in hysterics for the next three weeks. Shikamaru's team still hadn't come back.

For days she harassed Naruto, going up to his office and demanding that he tell her what he knew and demanding that he send out a search team.

"This is ridiculous! He should have come home!" She was choking back the tears that began to build in her eyes.

Naruto felt horrible whenever he saw her now. Technically this was his fault. He didn't have to send Shikamaru, yet he did. And Ino was just under a month due. What if there was the possibility that something happened? He shuddered at the thought and he had continued to think positively, knowing that it must have been just some small delay keeping the team.

"I'm really sorry Ino. I haven't had any word from them at all! And there aren't enough people free for me to send a search team! Once someone becomes available I'll send them out right away!" he wished that he had some way to make her feel better. He came up with nothing.

The door opened right as Ino stormed off towards it. Hinata walked in and skillfully sidestepped the angry woman as she stormed off, waddling as fast as she could.

Hinata stared nervously at the door, amazed that she didn't drop the items in her hand. She slowly turned to her boyfriend who was frustrated and leaned over his work, looking at it with distaste. He didn't bother to start or finish any of it and ran his hands over his face.

Hinata approached him and set the containers down on a safe, clear spot on his desk. Naruto's blue eyes looked up, suddenly adorning a look of gratitude when the scent filled his nose. The smell of ramen lifted his spirits, if only at a microscopic level. His appetite wasn't really there but he wasn't going to refuse eating the ramen Hinata had gracefully made for him.

"Are you alright?" Her soft voice asking soothingly. Just the sound, so tranquil and calm, seemed to help him relax. He swallowed the lump in his throat, washing it down with the savory broth of the ramen.

He swallowed. "No." he answered truthfully. "I really messed up I guess." He couldn't shake the guilt, the horrible feeling he had. Like led in his stomach, he had a sinking feeling.

Hinata seemed to understand what he was talking about. She knew about the situation going on between Naruto and Ino. She was concerned for her friend and the well being of Shikamaru. She prayed that he and his team were alright and that he would return to Ino soon. Very soon.

"Please Naruto. It's not entirely your fault. You didn't know what would happen when you assigned this mission. No one did. All we can do is wait. I know Shikamaru will return soon. He's too smart to get himself hurt afterall. And his determination to return to Ino is powerful, I'm sure of it." The pale eyed girl walked around the desk and gently touched the blonde's shoulder. "You have to believe in him." She whispered.

Naruto had his eyes closed, his chopsticks down, and his heart beating wildly. He took in all of her words like a sponge and couldn't feel any more gratitude towards her. She was amazing. She really was. He loved the encouraging attitude she had. She supported him no matter what and she did her best to try and cheer him up. She acted the exact same way he would act if she was in his position.

"Really Hinata." Naruto chuckled to himself. "If you keep on cheering me up and helping me, you'll really make me feel like a cold hearted bastard. You are too wonderful." His warm voice drifted off into another chuckle.

Hinata smiled, a mild blush staining her cheeks. She stated to play with her chopsticks, swirling them around in her ramen. She avoided looking at his face and let out a surprised gasp when Naruto stood from his chair and placed a kiss on her unsuspecting lips. She savored the ramen taste on his lips and smiled.

**-------------------------**

Five days later, Ino went into labor.

**-------------------------**

Sasuke didn't know how he had ended up with Ino that day. It must have been Naruto, making the stupidest decision to have Ino with Sasuke because he needed a 'sitter' as the blonde had put it; and he had Sasuke with Ino because he thought that she should have some company and a way to keep her mind off of Shikamaru.

How they ended up in a crowded main street, he wasn't sure of that either. Thinking back he was sure he heard the blonde mutter (angrily of course) about wanting to get a sweet bean bun. It was evident that she wasn't pleased with having to spend the day with him either.

Ironically just as they were approaching the stand where mouthwatering aromas were coming from, they saw one chubby brunette approaching the exact same place.

"Chouji!" Ino's face immediately lit up and she waved towards him. Just seeing him offered some sort of relief to her. Chouji noticed the yell (as well as many others) and he smiled and bounded to her. Ino started forward and Sasuke wondered if she would notice if he slipped off on his own to the training grounds.

"Come on!" Ino growled and snatched Sasuke's wrist, having a surprising amount of strength for a very pregnant woman. He pulled his wrist away with a glare and followed her with disinterest. He really did wish that Sakura wasn't working today.

Ino slipped over closer to Chouji as they both made their way to the bun stand. Rudely Ino ignored asking if Sasuke wanted anything and asked for her own sweet bun and another for Chouji. Sasuke stood a bit behind them, wanting nothing more than to escape their company. No matter how bad the urge was, he wouldn't since he was trying to make his name a good name again. Not that that would happen any time soon.

"Why are you here?" Ino asked as she took a big bite of her bun. She sent Sasuke a look that read 'let's go and don't you think about getting away.' Sasuke sighed.

"Lunch break." Chouji answered his cheeks full of the delicious pastry. Ino swallowed her share and spoke.

"Lucky. You honestly have no idea how bad I miss training. Like, serious training. I know it's weird to hear. But it's better than walking around with him." She said, not bothering to cover her words. Sasuke heard her words but didn't pay them any mind. "No offense." She offered at the end.

"The feeling's mutual." Sasuke replied coolly.

"Anyways, it's just really…depressing." She continued mournfully. She stared at her bun as if she were debating whether to keep it or throw it away. "It's lonely you know."

Chouji nodded as he took another bite of his bun. He swallowed and spoke, "I know what you mean. I miss having him here you know. I want to go train with him and Asuma, and you of course, like before."

Sasuke didn't mean to sound mean. "You guys make it sound like he's dead."

The two glares he received her full of pure rage and cold iciness. He didn't flinch or cringe back but he did feel slight regret at his choice of words.

"Oh that's rich coming from you!" Ino hissed with venom on her tongue. Her eyes were like piercing diamond as they ripped right through Sasuke. "It's not nice to suffer like this you see! And you caused this upon people purposely." She spat.

Sasuke could feel his rage and surprisingly words rose up through his throat and out of his mouth. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. It's not my fault that those bonds were formed and they had to be severed. That's just what happens in this life."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Right. Well you just don't think of other people. You only think of yourself!" she lashed. Chouji chose to remain silent, not wanting to get into an argument. He touched Ino's arm as a signal for her to take things easy. She shrugged him off.

"Well I guess you could say I was a heartless cold bastard back then." Sasuke said in a calm, dark voice. His and Ino's glares were matched.

"Well then I would have to say that's exactly right!"

They were at a standstill, glaring at each other, frozen in the middle of the busy street. Chouji stood by nervously.

It was then that Ino's narrowed eyes slowly got wider. Her mouth began to part, as though she was silently gasping.

"Ino?" Chouji asked and touched her shoulder. His dark eyes gazed into hers and he saw the shock. "Ino what is it?"

Sasuke's eyebrows became furrowed as he watched her grasp her stomach.

Then she let out a yell.

"My water just broke." She gasped and looked down at herself.

Chouji looked as though he had just had a heart attack. Sasuke very calmly stated, "This had better be some cruel, un-humorous joke." Ino just shook her head and threw him an evil look.

"Would you like to feel the nasty baby juices that are escaping from me! 'Cause I'm sure you'll feel certain then." Then her face twisted and she doubled over slightly, pain evident on her face.

"Contraction!" she shouted. She was gaining an alarming amount of attention from the people on the street. "Hospital. Now." She hissed.

"Right." Chouji said.

Sasuke moved to help, wondering how in the world he happened to end up in _this_ predicament.

**-------------------------**

It wasn't easy getting her to the hospital, but they made it. Somehow.

Chouji followed behind Ino as she was taken away in a wheelchair. Sasuke, instead, took his own route. He didn't bother to worry about getting in trouble for wondering around the hospital but he wanted to find Sakura. They were in labor/delivery and he really didn't know where she would be.

For at least ten minutes he wandered around, going from floor to floor, elevator to elevator. Finally he ran into Shizune.

"Sasuke-san, why are you here?" she asked when she noticed him. Sasuke looked up, noticing her. He didn't know her well but he knew that she was close to Sakura.

"Do you know where Sakura is?" he asked flatly.

Shizune answered quickly. "She was finishing her rounds I believe. She should be around here actually. Just down the next hallway." She pointed him in the right direction.

"Thanks." He said swiftly and took off.

As he bounded around the corner to the next hallway, luck was with him because he nearly collided with the person he was looking for. Sakura wasn't paying attention, instead reading over her clipboard. Sasuke grabbed her shoulders before they could hit each other and she looked up, thoroughly startled.

"God damn Sasuke! You'll give me a heart attack if you do that again!" she scolded. She didn't bother to ask him why he was there in the first place.

"Ino went into labor." He told her plainly.

"Huh? No! She's not due for another three weeks!" Sakura said with a horrified look. She then bounded off for the elevator which would take them to the floor where labor/delivery was. She didn't say a word the whole way and kept at a fast pace, swerving around different nurses or doctors. Sasuke followed at her heels.

"Did you cut your hair?"

"You better shut your mouth."

They made their way to where Ino was. After asking one nurse which room Ino was in, Sakura started off towards her room.

**--------------------------**

For the next twenty-two hours Ino was in labor. She had tests done to determine her premature labor and it was deduced that it was caused by stress. Luckily it didn't look like anything was wrong with herself or the baby. And even though the baby would be premature, the advanced technology they had today was more than enough to keep the baby safe so it could finish growing.

Ino's mother and father were called and they came right in, along with Shikamaru's parents. Tsumi had demanded that she was let into Ino's room during labor, which no one raised objections to. Chouji had moved to the waiting room along with Shikaku, Yoshino, and Inoichi.

But now, after those long painful hours, it was time.

The doctor (Doctor Tanaka, a tall gorgeous black haired woman who didn't look suited for this job) had come in to check on Ino who was cringing as another contraction hit her. Her mother was right at her side, holding her hand with a severely anxious look. She had been there and she knew just how bad the pain was.

"Alright Ino," Dr. Tanaka spoke in an airy voice, "I really believe that you are ready to push."

"Huh?" Ino's head popped up off of her pillow. "Now? No not now." She moaned. Shikamaru still wasn't here and she didn't want him to miss this.

"Well you are ready and this baby is on its way." The doctor said. Sakura had already been in the room and started to prepare everything. She wasn't an expert on delivering babies but she didn't want to miss the birth of Ino's baby.

Ino suddenly felt another wave of pain and she wasn't even paying attention as her legs were lifted into the stirrups on the end of the bed. She was too delusion to even fully understand what everyone was saying. All she knew was that she was in pain, she had an awkward feeling between her legs, and she wanted the kid out of her. Now.

Her face was beat red as she pushed when instructed. She took deep breaths and tried to ignore the sound of her mom breathing with her. She just clenched Tsumi's hand and pushed. Faintly she could hear her boyfriend's name fall from her lips multiple times.

And then it was over. She took a few last deep breaths and felt relieved. Faintly she heard the cries of the baby. She heard Sakura's cries, "It's a girl Ino!" She heard her mother's own cries of joy, "She's beautiful!"

And finally there was a weight placed on her stomach. She looked down, smiling brighter than ever when she saw the squirming pink lump there. Her baby. Her child. Shikamaru's child. Their infant.

After the baby was cleaned, the umbilical cord was cut. The baby was wrapped in a blanket, had a hat placed on its head and she was brought over to Ino. "Give her a kiss. You'll see her soon enough." Sakura said, holding the crying newborn in her hands.

Ino smiled and just then there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Dr. Tanaka called.

The door opened and a redheaded nurse popped in. "I'm very sorry." She apologized with a small bow. "But there is an emergency and Tsunade-sama has requested that Sakura-san attend to it with her."

"What's the matter?" Sakura asked. She handed the newborn off to Dr. Tanaka and moved towards the door.

"Nara Shikamaru's team had returned."

Tsumi gasped and Ino remained silent, frozen.

"But it's not good. They all seem to be wounded but Nara-san is worst off. He is in critical condition and…"

Sakura cut the nurse off and took hold of her arm, dragging her angrily from the room. The nurse looked confused, wondering what she had done wrong.

Tsumi hesitantly looked down at her daughter, wanting to say something to comfort her.

But it was too late because the tears were already flowing.

* * *

**1.** **When I did research on Japanese weddings, I came to learn that the 'Western' traditional weddings (the weddings we people of the U.S have) are becoming extremely popular in Japan. **

_**CALLY!**_** I'm sorry, I know I said that the wedding was going to be in this chapter, but it's postponed (yet again). But don't worry! It will be here soon enough! Anyways, I can't wait to hear from you!**

**And **_**Rach**_**I have strawberry pocky waiting for you. But you have to bring me Prince of Tennis and Fruits Basket back in order to get it. No kidding. **

**And to everyone else, I hope you enjoyed**


	42. Wake up, Shikamaru

**All I can say is that I have some very good excuses for taking forever.**

**1. I got a boyfriend. Not a big reason, but it's mildly time consuming.**

**2. I got a Wii. You can't blame me can you? I've been waiting for a Wii for I don't know how long and I'm currently obsessed with playing it.**

**3. I'm an auntie now. My sister recently had a baby girl named Karina. I've been helping as much as I can and it takes a lot since my sister lives with us. No sleep and spit up. Some pity please?**

**So, there are my reasons. Not great, but reasons all the same. So, I'm sorry. And as a warning, it may take me longer to get chapters up. But I'll work as hard as I can.**

* * *

Ino couldn't stop crying. It was inevitable, but she had every right. Beside her, Tsumi continuously stroked the top of her head and whispered soft words of comfort that never made it past Ino's ears. Faintly the older Yamanaka thought of going out to tell her husband everything but was worried about leaving Ino's side.

A new nurse had rushed in to check on Ino. She did a regular overlook on the sobbing blonde. At the same time she felt terribly uncomfortable. She wasn't informed on why the girl was crying and she thought it was because of the baby. Maybe something went wrong? She did know that the doctor was taking care of the baby. Apparently it was born a little too early. Poor dear.

"Yamanaka-san, are you in any pain?" The nurse asked nicely, softly over the sounds of Ino's sobs. Ino wiped her eyes and sniffed.

"Soar," she answered meekly. She tried her hardest to make her tears stop. Everything was going to be okay, between the baby and Shikamaru. She had to believe that.

"Alright. I'll bring you some ice," the nurse said and left the room. Right as she got to the door it was opening, a tall blonde man popping his head into the room.

"I'm the proud Grandfather," he announced smiling. "Would it be alright if I come in?"

"Of course," the nurse answered. He obviously wasn't informed on what was making the two other women so upset. He would find out soon enough though. She moved aside and behind the blonde man were two others, one was a happy looking dark haired woman, the other was a tall dark haired man who had his hair pulled back in a ponytail and he also had a distinctive scar on his face. Ninjas. That was her first thought.

"We're the other proud Grandparents," the dark haired man announced with a toothy grin. They all walked by and entered the room.

Ino picked her head up and upon seeing Shikamaru's parents, let out a new round of tears and sobs. Immediately all three adults knew something was wrong. Ino shouldn't be crying at the moment. She should be smiling, joyful for the new life she had just brought into this world. So what could have possibly gone wrong to put the new mother into hysterics?

"Ino? What's wrong?" It was Inoichi who asked. Ino was incapable of speaking, choking down the horrid feeling she had. Her body began to shake.

"Please, sweetie, you have to calm down," Tsumi claimed worriedly. The last thing Ino needed now was to be stressed out and to have her blood pressure spike. It was bound to be higher than normal after having a baby, and to have it go any higher was a serious health risk.

Sadly, Tsumi looked up at Shikamaru's parents, trying to find a way to tell them. It was all too obvious that they had yet to be informed on their son's condition and she hated that it was her who had to tell them.

"Shikamaru….he's…" The older woman paused, taking a moment to gather his words. She wanted the most subtle way to tell them, but there wasn't an easy way. "He's returned from his mission," she said and watched as the happy look spread onto her friends' faces. "He's in the emergency room."

That last line seemed to stick to everyone and a silence filled the room. The happy look melted from both Shikaku's and Yoshino's faces. "W-what?"

No one said a word to confirm this new information. All that was heard was Ino's cries. Before anyone could stop her, Yoshino was out the door.

**--**

After nearly two and a half hours, Sakura pulled off her bloody latex gloves and wiped her brow. It had taken what seemed like forever to get Shikamaru in a stable condition. It had been deduced that he had suffered from a broken wrist, four broken ribs which were already half healed out of line and they had to be re-broken so they could heal correctly, internal bleeding (which had now been stopped and cleaned) and he had a concussion. They had done an MRI which didn't show any further internal damage than what they already knew of. The CAT scan presented that he had minor bleeding on the brain, but everything else seemed to be alright. They couldn't do anything now but wait for him to wake up.

**--**

By the end of the day, Shikamaru didn't wake up.

**--**

Sakura had requested that she be assigned as Shikamaru's nurse. She was at his side almost all the time, checking him over constantly and wondering if more test should be done. He had gotten a blood test done and it did come back positive for poisoning. But the amount of poison in his circulatory system was so small that it wouldn't harm him.

Already his teammate had been asked what happened. The story had been relayed to Sakura.

Apparently, the team was leaving, having gathered the information they needed. They had traveled for a long time and stopped to rest late in the night. They were all worn out. Shikamaru had left the group to gather firewood. In that time, he had been attacked.

At that time, Shikamaru was already exhausted from traveling and his chakra levels were low. He never sensed the sound ninja approaching him. And before he knew it, he was jumped by five skilled ninja. He had tried to fight back but it seemed useless. By the time his team had reached him, he was already out cold.

They all barely escaped and fled to a nearby village. They took housing in a nice older woman's home. The medic had done all she could, using the last of her chakra to heal the others. She did her best to heal Shikamaru, but he just wouldn't wake up.

And now, Shikamaru still wouldn't wake up. He had been taken in for another CAT scan. This one showed that there was brain activity but it was slow. The nurses and doctors had come to a conclusion.

Shikamaru was in a coma.

What concerned everyone was when he actually would wake up. Tomorrow? Next week? Next month? Next year? It was impossible to tell. The good thing was that he was still breathing and his heart was beating regularly. There would be no need for life support, unless later on down the road it was called for.

Over the next week that Shikamaru was there, he had had many visitors. Yoshino and Shikaku were there everyday, staying as long as they possibly could. Inoichi and Tsumi were there frequently too, going between staying with Shikamaru and Ino. Chouji was going in-between as well, overly concerned with his two teammates.

Naruto had stopped by, talking to Sakura while he visited his friend. He had also visited Ino and the baby. When he came, Sasuke was with him. Sakura wasn't sure if the older man was there to actually visit Shikamaru and Ino, or if he was there to see her. But he approached her when she was taking Shikamaru's blood pressure.

"Can we go out somewhere?" he asked.

Sakura didn't say anything for a bit. She deflated the pressure cuff and scribbled down the results. "Give me a second," she answered without looking at him. She placed the chart back in the slot at the end of the bed. "We'll be back Naruto."

The pair left the room and Sakura took the lead, heading off for the courtyard. Her legs were stiff from sitting in a chair all morning long and it felt nice to let them stretch. She was already anticipating the crisp cool air of the outside. Right now all she could smell was anesthetics and hospital soap.

They walked down a deserted hallway that exited out to the courtyard. The medic pushed the heavy door open and was hit by rays of sun. She involuntarily smiled and stretched her arms out while taking in a deep breath. She had been cooped up in that hospital for days with little sleep and no outside contact. This was a small break and nice freedom.

"This is nice," she admitted with a heavenly sigh. Sakura closed her eyes and inhaled once again, deeper.

She felt a strong arm encircle her waist and look down, then up to Sasuke's face.

"Hm?" he hummed after seeing her face.

"Is this your way of trying to get me to marry you? Or do you just feel like being weird?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"A little of both maybe," Sasuke said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I guess it depends, is it working?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Now he's trying to be funny." She laughed. "But it's just turning out to be a tad too corny. Who are you anyways? 'Cause I know my Sasuke would never submit to being a corny dork."

"'Your Sasuke?'"

"Hm." Sakura detached herself from him and began to walk, her legs wanting to move. It was too nice outside and she had an urge to train. Do something really.

"Do you think you can get off for the afternoon?" Sasuke asked as he fell in step beside her. He looked down at the woman next to him and watched her frown deepen. He could feel a 'no' coming on.

"I'm not sure. I mean, I'm in charge of taking care of Shikamaru. And I don't want to leave his side for too long. What if something happened when I left? I'd feel horrible."

Sasuke understood why she was concerned. It was her best friend's boyfriend and she was in charge of him. If something happened, she would feel so incredibly horrible. "I get it," he said. There was no point in trying to convince her. He probably wouldn't get her to go anywhere with him. He was hoping to go out and possibly train with her, spend the day with her. Spending everyday with Naruto was starting to become an annoyance, just like it was when they were younger.

"Tell me, how did Naruto become Hokage?" Sasuke asked suddenly. Sakura was confused by the question.

"Why do you ask?" she inquired. They were now walking in a circle, around the worn out track that was naturally made by people continuously walking around the courtyard.

"Well he and I were training yesterday. Something had to have been wrong with him. Because the way he was, it was no way any Hokage should be. It reminded me of when we were younger." Sasuke chuckled.

"What happened?" Sakura asked with an exasperated sigh. Her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Let's just say that a trap intended for me, backfired him."

"That does sound like the younger Naruto that we both knew." Sakura said while giggling. "I'm sure he was just concerned about Shikamaru. He feels responsible for what happened. He must have been distracted."

They were then enveloped in a silence, walking around together. It was a break that Sakura needed, one that she deserved after working so hard. It was nice, just being with Sasuke. They didn't need words and she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Sasuke felt the same way.

He couldn't believe how much she had changed him. She changed his personality, his feeling, his thoughts, and his goals. Amazing, really. The cold hearted Uchiha was now luke-warm.

The two of them were approaching the door and Sakura wanted to get back in before too many people noticed she was missing. Just before she reached for the door, she spoke, "Sasuke."

He looked up at her as she continued on, "Come get me for lunch tomorrow."

**--**

Very rarely Tenten had her hair down.

Usually her hair was down only if she was bathing or sleeping. Otherwise it was up in her trademark twin buns.

So naturally Neji was surprised to see her hair down when he walked into his room after some rigorous training with his Uncle. He didn't have any duties for the family to attend to today, so he was free for the rest of the day. He felt that it would be helpful to help Tenten with wedding planning (even though he was truthfully dreading it). Wedding planning just wasn't something he could look forward to.

He was very thankful to see Hinata sitting next to his fiancé, trying to help her with Kami knows what.

Tenten ran a hand through her hair. That was why she had taken it down. It had been perpetually messed up and in the end she was too frustrated to keep fixing it. So she took it down and didn't care at all if there were unnatural looking bumps.

"I don't really have a definite number on who is all coming. That makes it really hard to even estimate of much food we need, how many tables and chairs we need, and everything else."

"Well," Hinata interrupted deftly, "Why don't we make a solid list right now. I'll help with my side of the family and then we'll get everyone we know will come. At the very least, that should be the first priority."

Tenten nodded and took hold of her planning notebook and flipped to a clean page. She picked up a pen and began to write.

Neji ignored their talk, wanting to grab clean clothes and sneak off to the bathroom to take a shower as quickly as possible. He'd rather not be dragged into their wedding talk. It was horrible, but he really didn't have any opinions to share if he was asked. He was ready to agree with Tenten for almost anything. Almost being the keyword. No pink. At least on him. That was finally. He was just thankful that Tenten wasn't the most girly girl.

"Neji, we're going to the hospital soon to see Shikamaru and Ino," Tenten said as she looked up at him. She noticed how dirty he was and noticed a few tears in his clothes. "So hurry and get cleaned up."

Neji nodded and had a faint though. Since when did Tenten start to act like his mother? More in control. Taking charge and telling him what to do. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. The man shook his head and pulled his hair out of his hair tie as he opened the door to go to the bathroom.

"I hope I'm not intruding by asking, but I've been curious," Hinata said as she watched Tenten scribble down more names. The young Hyuuga girl found it amusing that at the top of the list Tenten put her own name and Neji's. "When do you plan on moving in with us?"

The pen paused on the paper. "I've thought about it," Tenten said. She sat up straighter and set the pen down on the bed. She pulled her legs under herself, sitting Indian style. "But I haven't talked to Neji about it. I mean, it is a big move. But I'm ready. Really, I've been here an awful lot. And I've already stayed here for the night a couple times. I feel like I already live here." She said.

Hinata inclined her head and smiled. "I guess it does. So I assume that the move will be soon right?"

Tenten nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. It'll be way before the wedding I'm sure."

"Have you thought of when you are changing the date to?" Hinata asked, hoping she wasn't being too pushy with her questions.

"I don't know." Tenten answered. "I was thinking sometime around April or May. When the sakura flowers are blooming. We could have a beautiful wedding outside."

Upon hearing of Shikamaru and Ino's condition, Tenten had decided to postpone the wedding a few months. She wanted Ino to be in the wedding, and Shikamaru was going to be part of it as well. Tenten was anxious about the wedding, but the well being of her friends was more important to her. Not only that, but it gave her more time to plan and it gave them more time to get back on their feet. It wasn't much of a sacrifice, and right now, she was more concerned with Shikamaru getting better.

"That would be wonderful!" Hinata smiled. "Having a wedding surrounded by blooming sakura trees." It sounded totally ideal, something she would dream of having.

"Yeah it would be." Tenten sighed. "Ugh…now I really want to have this wedding."

**--**

Ino was in a phase the whole time she was kept in her new room. She wanted nothing more than to go and see Shikamaru, but everyone kept telling her that she had to wait. She didn't want to wait. This was her boyfriend, her child's father for Kami sake! How could they keep her from that!?

It agitated her. Period.

The day after the baby's birth a nurse came in with some questions for Ino. She had papers for the birth certificate which Ino had to fill out.

"What's the baby's name?" the nurse asked and she dug out a pen from the pocket of her purple scrubs.

Oh dear. Ino hadn't decided on a name. She and Shikamaru had talked of names, but they never decided on one. And with him being gone, she was too worried to even bother with deciding. "I'm not sure honestly."

She disliked the affronted look the nurse gave her. It made her feel guilty, like she should have had a name ready for weeks. Well Goddamnit! She was concerned for other reasons. But this was her baby; she should have had a name ready.

"I'll let you think about it." The nurse said and was ready to leave. "We'll bring the baby in for you in a little bit."

"How is she?" Ino asked.

"She spent the night in an incubator, but everything seems to be perfectly fine. The doctor said that she wouldn't need to stay in there. She's strong, she's healthy. You have nothing to worry about." The nurse said with a sincere smile.

Ino felt like a huge weight was lifted off of her. She let the smile that had been pushed away make its way onto her face.

It seemed to hit Ino not long after the nurse left. A name. A name for her baby. It was one that, a long time ago, Shikamaru had suggested himself.

"_How about Shina?"_ He had put out. It was obvious that he wanted to keep the traditional 'Shi' portion of his family names. Ino however wanted to keep the 'in' portion of her family name. So Shikamaru had combined the two.

Ino could distinctly remember her face that night. She was indifferent about it. She wasn't sure whether she liked it or not.

Now she knew for certain. That was her baby. Shina was her baby.

Inoichi and Tsumi, along with Shikaku and Yoshino had come in just before the baby was brought to her. They all waited anxiously for the baby, having had to wait the whole previous night to see her.

And then she was there. Ino's reaction to being able to hold her baby was timeless. Her motherly instincts had kicked into full gear. She held her with caution, supporting the head like she knew she was supposed to. It was all natural to Ino. She could believe it. She was a mother. It was so strange to think that way.

Very fine blonde hair blended in with Shina's head. Her face was round and a little chubby. Slowly the infant opened her eyes, just a crack but Ino was able to see dark orbs looking up at her. She had Shikamaru's eyes.

She was so soft in Ino's arms and it truly felt surreal. The reality of it all was finally beginning to sink into Ino. This was her responsibility now. She had two people to care for. This baby was hers, it depended on her. And she would be the best mother she could be.

**--**

The day that Neji, Tenten, and Hinata had come to visit Shika and Ino, was the day that the new mother herself was allowed to go down and see her boyfriend.

Ino had waited so long to see Shikamaru and she was terribly relieved that she would be able to see him now. It would help her, comfort her into thinking, he's still here with me. She couldn't take the baby with her, but that was alright. Shina would see her daddy at some time.

Sakura had come up to Ino's room with a wheelchair to take her down to the recovery room. After the short trip, Sakura wheeled Ino into Shikamaru's room, watching her friend carefully for any sort of horrid reaction.

The first thing Ino felt was cold. The horrible chill that had nothing to do with the room. She heard the monotone beeping of the monitor as it kept tabs on Shikamaru's heartbeat. Sakura wheeled Ino over by his bed and Ino gasped.

"Ohmygod." She said so quickly, her words were meshed together. Her hand covered her mouth and she was having a hard time believing that this was her boyfriend. He had bruises on his face. His head was bandaged as well. She could see the bandages around his chest and they disappeared underneath the blanket that covered him.

It took her a while to let this new reality sink in. Everything seemed to quite literally change overnight.

"_If you want to go and get killed it's not my fault!"_

The words that she had regretfully shouted on the night he left came back to her like a blow to the gut. She felt the tears in her eyes. She was surprised. She shouldn't have any tears left after all of the tears she had already shed. But they fell down her cheeks. She felt horrible and now she had a nasty feeling of guilt building in her stomach and rising to her heart.

How could she have been so selfish? She had been angry at him when he left. Really now, she had thought he was the one being selfish. But instead, she was. And it was wrong. She wished that she had taken the night he left better. Given him that kiss that he had wanted. Told him that she loved him back. Given him a hug, told him to be safe and wave to him even though she would silently grieve. Instead, she told him exactly how she felt; she said hateful, stupid words. She wanted to take it back. Take it all back.

"I'm so sorry Shika-kun." She whispered. Ino rose from the wheelchair and took a seat in the chair by the bed. She reached out and grasped his hand, noticing that the other one was bandaged as well. She looked up at her friend.

"When is he going to wake up Sakura?" she asked.

Sakura felt horrible. "I don't know Ino." She wished she had an answer. She wished that she could tell Ino that he would wake up in a few minutes, that he was just napping. But the authenticity of the whole situation was much more serious. When Shikamaru would wake up, no one knew. Would he be alright? A total mystery. They could have possibly overlooked something and they wouldn't be able to tell until he woke up. If that time ever came. Sakura knew, that when someone was in a coma, there was the possibility that they may never wake up. That's just how it was.

Sakura wanted to give Ino some privacy now. Just so she could be alone with Shikamaru. "Ino, call someone if you anything. Either one of the other nurses or I will come in a help you, alright?"

Ino nodded and continued to watch Shikamaru with an intense, tear-filled gaze.

Sakura backed out of the room. She turned around and jumped as she was faced by three other faces. "My God, don't scare me like that!" she whispered harshly.

"Sorry." Tenten laughed. "Is now a bad time?" she asked.

"Actually it is." Sakura said. "Ino's in there to see him for the first time. She can't stay long since the baby will have to be fed soon, but I think she needs some privacy now."

"Oh."

"But you can come see the baby if you want. She's in the nursery right now. I can show her to you guys." Sakura offered, already walking towards the elevators.

"Yes, please." Hinata answered for them. She, Tenten, and Neji were right behind Sakura, going to see baby Shina for the first time.

**--**

It happened, two weeks later when Ino was in Shikamaru's room.

Shina was allowed to be in Shika's room with her now. Ino was running on no sleep and she was doing all she could to stay awake in her chair. Tsumi and Yoshino both have helped Ino, coming over to allow a few hours of sleep for the new mother. Ino was most definitely grateful.

She visited Shikamaru everyday, and she was slowly becoming used to walking in to see him still in his slumber. The bruises on his body were fading, almost completely gone. He was healing nicely, his bones coming together like they should. That was a very good sign. But still, he wouldn't wake up.

So after two weeks, when Ino was sitting in his room, it happened. It was right after Ino was done feeding Shina. The young baby was taking to breast feeding very well. Like all newborns, it took quite a few tries before Ino could get her to latch on successfully. And it took even more time for the baby to even begin to feed. But the baby was a fast learner it seemed and she was getting much better at feeding. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than when they first tried.

So after Ino was done feeding, she only sat there for a few minutes after burping the baby. It was then that Shikamaru's head moved. And Ino could have sworn she saw his eyes flutter. Her heart in turn fluttered and she was holding her breath.

"Shikamaru?" she called quietly. He didn't respond, and for a moment he was still. Ino had the sad thought that her mind was playing cruel tricks on her until once more, she saw his eyes flutter. Then they opened slowly, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Oh gosh, Shika-kun. You can hear me right?" Ino heart was racing wildly. She held Shina close to her and stood up, leaning slightly over Shikamaru. Slowly, the dark haired man's head turned, and he looked up at his girlfriend.

"Ino? What's going on?" he asked in a very quiet, shaky voice. Ino wanted to scream at that moment. He was alright. Shikamaru was awake, he was fine. Everything was going to be just fine now.

Ino pushed the button to call for a nurse. _"Yes?"_ a voice called from a speaker above the bed.

"Shikamaru, he's awake now!" Ino said happily. She was grinning brightly.

"_Alright we'll send a nurse in."_ the voice announced. Not even a minute passed by and Sakura was already rushing into the room.

"How is he? Has he said anything?" Sakura demanded and was already full in nurse mood. She began to look over his charts, read the monitors and so on.

"He just asked me what was going on." Ino reported and stood by closely. She watched as Sakura flashed a flashlight in Shika's eyes to test his pupils.

"Shikamaru, you can hear me right?" Sakura asked.

"Yes."

"You know where you are?" She continued on.

"I'm guessing the hospital." Shikamaru said in a weak voice.

"You are." Sakura said. "Do you remember how you got here?"

Slowly Shikamaru shook his head no.

"You were attacked on your mission Shikamaru. You suffered some bad injuries and you were put in a coma for a while." Sakura said. She stood back and looked down pitifully at her friend.

"Shika, I'm just so glad that you're okay." Ino said smiling. "Look." She said and gestured to the baby in her arms. "Isn't she beautiful?"

Shikamaru studied the baby for a long time. Ino couldn't read the expression on his face at all. Then, her koibito looked up at her and hesitated before asking. "Whose is she?"

Between Ino and Sakura, the reaction was nothing but dead silence. Sakura held in her gasp and look up at Ino who looked ready to fall over.

"What do you mean Shikamaru? She's your baby." Sakura said, hoping that Shikamaru was just kidding. The sad thing was, she knew Shikamaru wasn't a joker.

"My…baby?" he said slowly, as if trying to understand it all. "Since when…wait. What? Ino you…and I…had a baby?"

Ino couldn't say a word. She couldn't breath, as though all of the air was stolen from her. She couldn't comprehend what would lead Shikamaru to act like this. Why would be joke over something like this? Or was he faking it, trying to act as though he had no idea who the baby is. Was he trying to get out of being a father?

"Shikamaru. Do you remember Ino being pregnant at all?" Sakura asked, now astounded.

The jounin thought to himself for a moment. "I don't. I can't remember much actually." He said.

Ino didn't know how to react.

"You remember who Ino and I are. You remember Chouji?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember going on a mission to gather information on the sound country?"

"…No."

Sakura now was coming to a conclusion. "It's short term memory loss. He can remember things from far back, like his parents and family, his long time friends. But he can't remember anything that happened a short period ago. Like, he can't remember anything that happened this past full year."

Ino looked at Sakura in horror. "That's why he can't remember that he has a daughter?" Sakura nodded in confirmation.

"Ino, everything will be alright. Perhaps, slowly over time his memories will come back to him. Worst case scenario, the loss will be permanent. But please, be happy that this isn't long term memory loss, or anything worse. You can always remind him of the memories-"

"I know." Ino interjected. Sakura saw the moisture in her eyes. "I'm just going to…go for a walk with Shina. Clear my head, you know."

And then she was gone.

* * *

**So how was it? Personally, I don't like it. But I got it up. That was my overall goal and I'm glad that I finished it. Hopefully my procrastination (or Shikamaru syndrome as my friend's and I call it) period is over. Please review! They fuel me along.**


	43. Sparring

A note to all anonymous readers

_**A note to all anonymous readers!**_** I'm sorry to say that I have disabled the anonymous reviewers' option. I really wouldn't have liked to, but one person in particular left me with no choice. I got extremely pissed at this person since they found it amusing to call my sister a whore, just because she had a baby. Personally, I find it sick. And of course, they just didn't have the balls to leave their name since they are, in fact, a coward. I have a very good impression that this was the same person who (anonymously) referred to this story as 'pathetic'. Calling the story pathetic is one thing, I can get over that. But going as far as to insulting my **_**SISTER**_** and calling my **_**NIECE**___**a product of prostitution, that just makes me sick. They are just a horrible person, who really must have a bad life if they find it necessary to insult someone they don't know. Jealousy? Maybe. I could go on a rant about this, but I'm just going to walk away with my dignity, unlike the likes of that sick psycho. **

**If you don't have an account, feel free to email me. (****)**

**Well, now that that is over, who wants to read a brand new chapter, jam packed with some good SasuSaku moments?**

**--**

"Is he awake yet?" Sakura asked Genma from the kitchen. She was washing the dishes from their breakfast and was slowly getting agitated that it was taking Kakashi so long to wake up. They had to be at the training grounds in just about thirty minutes and he had yet to wake up. She even distinctly remembered that he mumbled something last night about being too sleepy, that he would take his shower in the morning.

"Not yet. Want me to get him up?" Genma asked from the living room where he was tying his hite ate. Sakura and Kakashi were going to the Hokage Mansion to get Sasuke, and he figured that he would walk there with them since he was working with Izumo and Kotetsu today.

"Nope. I'll wake him," Sakura said in a mischievous voice. Genma knew that that voice meant there was trouble on the way and his brown eyes followed Sakura as she walked out of the kitchen with a glass of ice water in her hands. He sniggered, biting down on his senbon to keep quiet. He didn't feel bad for his friend at all and he wanted to get right behind Sakura, just to witness the event.

Sakura snuck down the hallway. Kakashi's door was opened just a crack and she smirked to herself. Perfect, just perfect. She opened the door some more and slipped through. She sensed Genma behind her, watching from the door.

Kakashi was spread out across his bed. He was on his stomach, his arms thrown up awkwardly above his head. His shruiken decorated comforter was shrew about below his knees, his legs bent, one of them hanging off the side of the bed. He was clad in his elastic-like tank top, mask pulled over his face. That would just make everything even better.

Her chakra was concealed perfectly so he couldn't sense her at all. She knew Kakashi was normally a light sleeper, but her stealth skills were good, she didn't make a sound as she tip-toed over to his bedside.

She stood over him, the excitement rising through her. Sakura held the glass up and over Kakashi's back, ready to dump the contents on the man when suddenly, he made a small grunting noise and turned over onto his back, one arm falling down across his stomach, the other still above his head. Sakura froze, not moving an inch. She even held her breath, afraid of stirring him. Luckily, the jounin's eyes stayed closed.

This made it even better. She inched the glass up just a bit more so it was positioned over his face. The adrenaline pumped through her body and she could feel Genma's anxiety wearing thin. She tipped the glass forward ever so slightly. It was then, that a drop of the condensation created from the uneven temperature balance between the water and the cup, dripped off the bottom and landed square on Kakashi's forehead.

Instantly the man's eyes were open, one black, the other red and black. He stared at the cup above his head. Then briefly, his eyes moved to Sakura whose face changed quickly from shock to amusement. "Good morning." She chimed and dumped the entirety of the water over her former teacher's face. Kakashi's eyes squeezed shut and the water splashed over him in a very unpleasant way. He didn't react harshly, he merely took the attack.

The silver haired man sat up and wiped his face off with his hands. His mask was now soaked and so was part of his shirt. His hair was drenched as well and it fell in front of his face in a very appealing way. Sakura giggled. "Man, your face was priceless. You knew what was coming, hell you watched me with the sharingan, and you still didn't try to avoid it."

From the doorway, Genma chuckled along. "She got you there man. That was good."

Kakashi sighed, long and heavy. He was having a very nice dream involving an Icha Icha Paradise novel, a hot spring, vanilla ice cream, and for some odd reason a flute. And this was what he woke up to? His innocent (or so he thought) young girl and his ass of a friend finding it funny to dump ice cold water on him at eight in the morning. Yeah. Real fucking funny.

"That was good. But do you see what time it is? Go take a quick shower so we can get out of here because I'll be dammed if I'm late because of you." Sakura pulled on his arm, pulling him right up and out of the bed. Kakashi allowed himself to stand and be pushed towards his dresser. Sakura was a very pushy girl and he knew better than to protest against her, especially in the morning.

"I don't need a shower. I'm already wet," Kakashi said. He then took a whiff of his armpit. "And I smell fine. There's no use if I'm just going to get sweaty during training right? I'll just have to come home and take another shower then."

Sakura gave him a stern, motherly look. "You stink for one. And two, like you are going to train. You'll be up in some tree reading or sleeping. Some help you are."

Kakashi glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his dark eye looking at her for a brief moment. "You know," he said in a soft voice. He grabbed a pair of pants. "You're right."

"I know I'm right," Sakura said with a proud smile. "So go in there and get clean. I want you to sparkle!"

"Do you really?" Kakashi asked. "Because I'm hard to resist when I sparkle." He winked at her playfully but the pink haired girl simply rolled her eyes, obviously not amused.

"Like I'd ever want you."

"You mean to say you've never swooned over me in the past?" Kakashi asked, now pulling out a pair of navy blue boxers. Sakura shook her head no.

"Never."

"Not even once? You've never thought at some point that I was sexy in the least?" He asked. Kakashi stood up, his stature of six foot towering over Sakura's puny five foot four.

"Nope. Sorry to disappoint you. If you had taken off the mask and long and behold, there was a face carved by the God's themselves, maybe I'd spare some time to swoon. And don't try it now, I'm taken. Well, half taken. Ah, reserved. I'm reserved for someone." Sakura giggled at her own joke, not taking offense to being 'reserved' at all. At least the one she was reserved for wanted to get to her as quickly as he could.

"Well then, I wonder what I could have done wrong. I'd thought I would have captured you with my charm at some point," Kakashi said, looking thoughtful but not really playing the part.

"If you consider your sick, perverted comments "charmful"," she did the quotes with her fingers, "then you are wrong Hatake-san. Very, very wrong."

"Sakura, your words hurt me. I guess I'll just have to study Sasuke today for my training. I need to find out how to keep you happy now don't I? Since I act like your guardian, your happiness means everything to me." Kakashi leaned down and placed a masked kiss on the girl's cheek. "You should make sure Sasuke comes to ask for my permission before asking you The Question again. What try will the next one be would you say?"

"Enough to make a man give up," Sakura laughed lightly. "But I'll tell him. Make sure you give him and long hard speech. Try to actually scare him won't ya?"

"I don't think it will work, but I could always try. Maybe if I tried to kill him first? Just to put him on the edge." Kakashi walked by Sakura and headed towards the bathroom. She called after him.

"You have ten minutes starting now, and if you take any longer than that, I will be in there to continuously flush the toilet until you are scalding from hot water and have to get out before you have second degree burns!"

**--**

Sasuke was mildly annoyed to open the door to his room at the mansion after waiting around for an extra twenty minutes. He opened the door to find Sakura, grumpy faced, pointing an accusing finger in Kakashi's direction. Kakashi, in turn, was smiling while chewing something unidentifiable.

"Should I ask why it took you so long to get here?" he asked in an indifferent tone. Sakura was glaring already and just turned the look upon him.

"No." she answered shortly, in finality. No more questions were to be asked. "Let's just say that I don't understand why it takes a man ten minutes to only shampoo his hair. He didn't even move on to conditioning or washing his body by the time I flushed the toilet the first time out of oh…let's say sixteen times. Then he wanted breakfast."

"So she chucked an orange at my face. A nice, delicious, juicy orange." Kakashi sighed, thinking of his breakfast fruit.

Sasuke had no sympathy for the older man. He didn't say a word as he closed the door behind him and started down the hallway of the building he had gotten very used to. He had taken a lot of his time to wondering around the mansion, sneaky through rooms he didn't think he was supposed to be in and reading old, lost records. It was actually a little interesting.

Sakura hurried and caught up to Sasuke, falling in step with him. Neither of them said a word. Kakashi also followed them silently, his nose already stuffed in to one of his books.

"How have you been fairing around here?" Sakura asked,. It had been almost a week since she had even seen Sasuke. She had been so busy with her own schedule between the hospital and a short mission Naruto had assigned her. Plus she had been working with Ino and the pair of parents on helping Shikamaru. There wasn't a huge increase with Shikamaru, but everyday they would all recount on things that had happened within the last year, trying to find something that would spark his memory.

"It's not my dreamland," Sasuke said bluntly. "But it's better than being in jail. Almost anything is better than that." Sakura nodded her head. She was sure that he would take living with Naruto over many of the living conditions he had to get accustomed to in the past.

"Well, soon enough you'll be out of here and living on your own once again. And you'll be able to go on missions, advance as a shinobi. Maybe join the ANBU. Who knows right?" Sakura babbled on, her hands moving in pointless gestures. They walked outside, the air slightly chilly. Even if they lived in fire country and they rarely had teeth chattering cold weather, the temperature could still drop a good bit during the winter time. Nothing that was unbearable though. You had to push through when you were a shinobi.

They arrived at the training ground a mere ten minutes later. Sai was already there, waiting for them. Sasuke and Sakura both reached the familiar red bridge. Sakura turned around, only to see no Kakashi behind her. "Where the _hell_ did he go?" She exclaimed.

"Should we really care? The Scarecrow is never here on time." Sai commented. Sakura growled out loud, her hands balling into fists.

"Who cares." Sasuke said and was already on the move towards their training spot. He was itching to do something in the line of training, whether it was target practice or push ups. He was just eager to move around and being productive.

"Whatever." Sakura growled and moved after Sasuke. Sai joined her side, sketch book in hand.

"Hey Sasuke!" Sakura called ahead. The dark haired man turned around. "Want to spar?" she asked, for some reason smiling. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, a smirk easily sliding onto his face.

"Sure," he said. Of course, he would have to go easy on her. Meaning he wouldn't use his sharingan. They really never have had a real spar between the two of them. It would be interesting to see what would possibly happen between the two of them. He was eager to see just how well her fighting abilities were.

"Awesome," she said, more to herself then to the other two men. She left out a flare of chakra, signaling that she was ready at any time. They walked the rest of the way to the clearing, and both participants of the fight took their places at either side. Sai took his place at the base of a large tree, pulling out his ink bottle and opening his book to a clean page. Before the other two began, he studied them both carefully, taking in their features.

At first, they just stared at each other. Both possessed smirks on their faces. It was more of a stare down than an actual sparring match at the moment. Once more Sakura sent out a flare of her chakra, this time Sasuke returned it. Shivers ran down Sakura's spine as she felt the raw power concealed within his chakra.

"Let's keep this clean." Sai called out from his spot under the shade. "I'd rather not have to clean blood off of my picture."

Sakura giggled. "Gotcha," she said and in a flash she was off, charging at Sasuke with a fist full of pumping chakra.

As expected, Sasuke was too fast for her and jumped out of the way of her punch, causing her to smash her fist into a tree, causing the sturdy thing to quiet literally shatter.

"So you are trying to break my face." Sasuke said as he rebounded off a tree and soared right at the medic. Sakura back flipped out of the way of his kick and crouched down. Just as Sasuke landed before her, her leg whipped out in an attempt to sweep him off of his feet. Once more Sasuke jumped to avoid the attack.

Sakura jumped back out of close combat range and sent an array of senbon in Sasuke's direction. Seemingly out of nowhere, his chokuto was drawn and he deflected all of the projectiles with his blade. He charged after Sakura as she took off towards the trees.

It was turning into a game of cat and mouse. Sakura hopped in all different directions, taking sharp turns as she tried to get the man off of her. Sasuke sped up and was approaching Sakura fast. It was then that he felt another approaching chakra and he dodged left, just barely avoiding an exploding kunai which destroyed the branch he had been on merely seconds before.

'_Shadow clone,' _he thought, knowing that he was simply chasing after a replica of the girl. He high tailed it back to the clearing and jumped down, just as Sakura did. His back was to her and Sakura found this her time to charge forward with another devastating punch ready. She ran forward as fast as she could. So close. Ten feet. Seven feet. Five. Three.

"Kotan: Gokakyu no jutsu!"

"What the-!?" A huge blast of fire was sent spiraling after her. Sakura jumped off to the side quickly, averting what could have been a lethal blow. Not all of her got out of the way though; her right leg was burned from the attack. She let out a hiss of pain and fell down to the earth with a harsh sounding 'thump'. Immediately she looked down to inspect her leg and, she could already see the blisters forming and the bleeding beginning. It hurt too, badly. Not only that, but her high top sandals were now dirty and charred.

"Damnit," she cursed. Sakura knew that she had to withstand any pain. And now she wouldn't have enough time to heal herself since she knew what Sasuke was like when he fought; no mercy for anyone. Not even for the one girl he loved. When Sasuke fought, he was all serious. Already as she looked up, she found no one in sight. Where he had gone? She had no idea.

She sensed out to feel his chakra. She couldn't feel a thing and concluded that he was either gone from this area, or he was masking his chakra. She found the second option more likely.

Suddenly she was veiled in a shadow, someone overtop of her. Sure enough, she looked up to see Sasuke rapidly falling down, kunai drawn. Sakura knew it would be hard to move and pulled out her own kunai. The two tools clashed together, the sound ringing through the forest. And then, for a few moments, they were frozen in that position.

Sakura, lying on her back, kunai held right above her face. Sasuke, having fallen directly on top of Sakura, kunai clanking against hers, a smirk on his face. She was panting; he hadn't even broken a sweat. "Wanna give up?" he asked, his tone mocking. She glared at him.

"In your fucking dreams buddy." Easily Sakura pushed her fist upwards, her strength overbearing his. The kunai was flung out of Sasuke's hand and now he was stuck there, hovering above the injured girl with a kunai pressed to his throat. "Gotcha."

The tension between the two was becoming unbearable. Sakura, now having the urge to pull his head down those last few inches, and being able to (after oh so long) taste him once more. Sasuke, however strange for him it might be, was having similar thoughts.

It was ruined in that instant when Kakashi had shown up (had he been there long?) and found it his time to say something. "You know Sasuke; you are a very lucky man. I remember once when sparring with Sakura; we ended up in a very similar position. Of course, I didn't get the lovely dovey look you're getting now…"

"Kakashi!"

"Nope, instead I got whacked on the side of the head. Like it was my fault, when in turn, she was the one who found it nice to throw me down and sit on top of me. Kunai to the throat and all." The older man chuckled.

Sasuke found it a very un-contrivable thought seeing Sakura throwing Kakashi down. Period. That wasn't a fact that he wanted to know, cared to know, or liked to think of.

"I will get you for that! That was never supposed to be let out!" Sakura shouted. Sasuke found himself in slight danger since as she yelled, the kunai that was still in an unwanted proximity, began to rub up against his skin.

"I'd never thought about that before. Was it a motive for you to throw me to the ground and straddle me? And you told me just this morning you had never once swooned over me. Were you lying?" Kakashi was having the best kick out of teasing the girl, in front of her love no less. Man, he had no shame at all.

"I. Will. Kill. You." Those were the only words he had received and they were so deadly, he was sure that if they were kunai, he would never be able to escape alive.

"Just kidding my dear. You know how much I love teasing people." Kakashi knew it was time to stop when that tone of voice was used. He wanted to sleep in his bed tonight, and not on the couch. Or worse yet the bathtub which he had been threatened with once after insulting her cooking (which he did without knowing it). He gave me an eye crinkle and a small wave before jumping up to disappear in the trees. Sai simply stared at the girl blankly.

"What?" she shouted at the stoic man. Sai just shook his head and returned to his drawing.

Sakura lowered the kunai and looked up at the face that was so close to hers. It appeared to be smug. Just like the smug bastard that he was. "Will you get off of me!" she shouted, her good leg flailing slightly and nearly kneeing Sasuke in a very sensitive place.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head before moving off of the girl. "You should heal your leg." He stated as if she didn't already know. How could she not know that her leg was burning and bleeding horribly? It was his damn fault too.

"Just let me get over to a tree so I can sit comfortably," Sakura said as she began to hoist herself upwards. Sasuke wrapped his arm around her arm and helped her up. With his help, they made their way to a tree not far away from Sai. Sakura eased herself down carefully, feeling the pain explode through her leg. "Ah!" she hissed.

"You know, I really did think that you were going to dodge that," Sasuke informed her. "I didn't think it would actually hit you."

"Well sorry for not living up to your speed expectations," Sakura spat sarcastically. Sakura reached down and began to pull off her sandal, finding it hard. After a bit of a struggle, she managed to get it off. From her knee down, it wasn't horrific damage. Her shoe, in turn, took a good amount of damage from the attack. She began to focus her chakra, her hands beginning to glow green. Her small, slender hands began to run over her thigh, regenerating new cells to take place of her damaged ones. The blisters began to heal and she could feel the pain ease away.

It took her nearly ten minutes to be satisfied, convinced that she had healed everything. Then she reached back into her pouch and retracted a wash cloth. "Could you go and drench this in water?" she asked. Sasuke gave her a look, but complied with her request. He heaved a sigh and stood up. Sakura rolled her eyes when he was walking away. He still seemed to find everything a nuisance.

"Sakura, could you come here please?" Sai called out from his spot. Sakura looked up at her teammate and noticed that he had never once taken his eyes off of his sketch book. Pushing up off the ground, Sakura walked over to Sai and sat down on her knees in front of him.

"What is it Sai?" She asked questionably. She attempted to peer over to see the sketch that he was drawing, but Sai tilted the picture forward so her eyes couldn't see. Sakura pouted cutely.

"I just need to see your feature up close. It makes it easier than trying to draw them from far away." He said, looking up at her face. Sakura remained very still, no certain expression on her face. Sai kept glancing between her and his sketch.

"So you're drawing me are you?" she asked.

"Yes," Sai answered, his hand moving without fault across the paper. "You and Sasuke-san."

For some reason, her breathing hitched slightly and Sakura found it hard to draw in the next breath. "R-Really now."

"Aa. You see, I've been very caught in this new emotion. One that I had never took the time to study. I heard that it is quiet complicated," he said, now concentrating more on his picture. Sakura eased herself down, now sitting on her bottom with her legs bent over to her right side.

"Which emotion would that be?"

Sai looked up and smiled. "Love," he answered. "I've always heard talk of this emotion and I've acquired a lot of information on it now."

Sakura disliked the way Sai made love sound like a science. True enough, love could be considered a science, but she liked to consider it just a natural emotion that people felt. "What have you learned?" she asked her voice softer than normal.

"Well," Sai began. He dipped his brush into the ink bottle and wiped any excess ink off on the edge of the opening. "I have learned that when true, love can be a wonderful thing. But I also learned that lust can fool people, making them think that their lust is love. But love is supposed to make you feel happy, right? It makes you feel good."

"Yeah," Sakura smiled. "It does make you feel good."

"And it's funny. When I started to learn of this emotion, I found that I had many of the symptoms of love." Sakura's eyes widened. Sai? In love?

"Hm?"

"Yes. I have found that when I am around you, I fell good. I fell warm…here." He pointed at his chest. "And I feel funny in my stomach. Like it moved or something." His hand moved gracefully across the paper. "And I find myself smiling for no reason."

Sakura had no idea how to respond to that. She was shocked, frozen, and speechless. Sai had just basically admitted that he had feelings for her. And by the looks of it, he probably didn't even realize it.

"I've never felt like this before. Do you think I should be concerned?" He was so oblivious. Sakura actually almost felt sorry for him. But if he really did know that he liked her, things could end badly. He could get hurt (unknowingly of course) or it could bloom into a huge problem.

She regretted that she had to say these words. "It's nothing Sai. I'm sure it will go away soon. So don't concern yourself with it." How she could smile saying this, who knows. But she felt downright horrible for doing. She was a bad, bad person.

"Here," came a voice from her side and she looked up to see Sasuke holding the washcloth in front of her face. She reached up for it, thanking him.

"You don't mind if we leave you Sai? I'm sure you're busy with your picture." Sakura's voice sounded different to Sasuke, like she was nervous about something. She stood up and the pair of them retreated back to the tree they were at before. Unbeknownst to them, Kakashi had heard everything between Sakura and Sai and was now watching the girl carefully.

Once they sat down, Sakura went to work on her leg. She wiped off the drying blood, revealing a smooth, seemingly unharmed leg. It still felt a little numb to her, but that would pass soon enough she knew. When she was finished, her washcloth was stained red. She sighed.

Sasuke wanted to know what went on between his two teammates, but knew that he had to beat his curiosity away. He found that he was too much of a curious person, something he never liked. He had always come off as a person who couldn't give two craps. But honestly, he was just about as curious as any other person and he found himself often looking uninterested but listening in on certain facts anyways. His 'I don't care act' was just something he wouldn't lose. So he reframed from asking.

Sakura was staring straight ahead of her, her expression thoughtful. "I just found out," she said, not knowing if Sasuke was listening or not. "That Sai has emotions. Or one emotion really."

Sasuke looked uninterested but in fact, he wanted to know if this was what made her sound nervous before. He said nothing.

"I just found out, that Sai has feelings for me." Her voice was foreign to her. Like she just couldn't, for the life of her, believe what she was saying. "It's so weird. And the poor bastard doesn't even know it."

Sasuke had an incredulous look on his face. "You're kidding right?" he asked, wanting to be completely clear. Sakura shook her head no. She glanced over at Sasuke, only to see him staring up at the sky, his brows furrowed very slightly.

After a long, weird silence Sakura said, "Could you teach me the fireball jutsu?"

Where this had come from, Sasuke had no idea. But the fact that she was changing the subject was good. The beast within him settled down a bit when she asked her question. But now, he looked at her, wondering where the random comment had come from.

"That jutsu isn't for everyone," he said.

Of course, Sakura knew that. It seemed that in a lot of shinobi, there seemed to be a certain element that each was intoned to. Like Naruto, who seemed to have a knack for wind-type jutsu. Sasuke, just like any Uchiha heir, was skilled with fire. And Kakashi just had a mix, not particularly overpowering in just one, but he did seem to have a slight advantage with lightening.

And then there was Sakura. She could kill with one punch. Not too much there working for her in the line of jutsu.

It had dawned on her not too long ago that she should start experimenting. She should find out her own type of element that worked best for her. Whether it was wind, fire, lightening, water, earth. She just wanted to know. She had a yearning to learn new jutsu, to keep on learning.

"Well, if I were to be an Uchiha, wouldn't it only be natural that I at least know some fire jutsu? And I'm not insinuating anything by saying that." Her last sentence was stern, giving the hint that, no, she wasn't agreeing to marry him.

"If you want to learn it, then you'll have to wait until we go to an appropriate area. Burning up the forest does not sound appealing," Sasuke said. He was right, fire plus plant life equals badness and many angry people. He was right, that didn't sound appealing at all.

"Well you know what, I have tomorrow free. You should take me somewhere where it's safe to teach me. And we can work on it all day long. Just you and me." Sakura was practically purring, her seduction charm being put to work. She was suddenly in full 'Sexy Sakura' mode. Where it suddenly came from? She had no idea.

Sasuke seemed unaffected by the sultriness of her tone. He was a hard one to please. "Right. Well it's better than being stuck inside all day."

And to Sakura that just seemed to be an insult. Like he would go, only so he wouldn't have to suffer in the mansion. Heh. Jerk.

"Yeah. Well if I'm not up to your standards, you could always find someone else to hang out with tomorrow. Train with Naruto, Kakashi, hell anyone if I'm not good enough for you." No she wasn't really mad. She just liked playing with people. She loved it when people reacted harshly to her antics.

Sasuke remained as blank looking as ever. "You don't take sarcasm well do you?" he asked very bluntly. Sakura gaped, not knowing how to respond. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before settling with a simple, "Shut up."

Sasuke actually chuckled. "Right. You up for another round?" he asked and was already starting to stand up. Sakura stood up as well and stretched her leg out, feeling that the numbness was gone.

"Yeah. Just don't burn me this time."

**--**

The next match between the two went on longer than before. Sakura now sported a few new cuts, along with a nice gash across her left side. She could feel the bruises forming on her body and she felt a bit stiff now. She was panted heavily as she hurried back to the clearing, holding her wound. She had managed to hit Sasuke before, a nice blow to the shoulder where she was certain she heard a crack. She wouldn't go easy on him period.

Sakura landed on the outskirts of the clearing and leaned back against a tree. She felt a little worn out but she knew she had a lot of fight left in here. Her stamina was very good.

Out of nowhere it seemed, Sasuke just appeared before her, pinning her to the tree, his chokuto to her throat. Well, the tables have been turned now haven't they? Who was in trouble now? Sakura wasn't ready to admit defeat though. She looked directly at his face and noticed that his eyes had changed, now red with three black dots in them. Oh shit.

"Gotcha," he said mockingly and pressed his blade a bit further into her flesh. She hissed and felt the warm sensation on her blood running down her throat. Just then, completely out of character, Sasuke did something erotic. He removed the blade and leaned in, his tongue running over the small wound and down her throat, cleaning up the trail of blood. Sakura felt herself stiffen. She wanted to ask what the hell he was doing, what got into him suddenly.

Sasuke picked his head up, the taste of rust and copper now drenched on his tongue. He leaned in once more, his lips right next to Sakura's ear. "I win," he whispered in a velvety voice that sent good shocks through the girl's body. She was practically melting on the spot.

"Enough love birds."

Kakashi was in the tree above them. "We don't need any lovemaking here at the grounds. Do that behind closed doors please." Sakura flushed horribly at what he said and Sasuke lowered his head, not allowing Kakashi to see his face.

"Why don't you two get cleaned up and let's head on out. It's getting late and Sakura, you did promise Genma. I trust that you'll get Sasuke back safe and sound. I'll see you back home." With those final words, the silver haired jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What did you promise Genma?" Sasuke asked, watching as Sakura began to heal the gash on her side.

"I promised to make his favorite dinner," she said. He had been complaining that he had missed having some grade A fish and that he couldn't possibly cook it; he was forever banned from even attempting to cook. Much less, he was to stay out of the kitchen unless he was getting a snack or a beer. "Anyways, how's your shoulder?"

Sasuke rotated his shoulder, testing his ball and socket joint. "It's stiff. And it hurts, but I've had worse. I'm just glad that that punch wasn't dead on." He now knew not to underestimate Sakura's power. She had some good punches in her and, he looked around at their surrounding where the ground was broken up and a few trees suffered serious damage from her attacks, if Sakura hit you dead on with an attack, you were dead meat.

"Let me check it out so I know if it could get worse." Sakura lifted her glowing hands up to Sasuke and ran them over the offended area. She couldn't tell exactly what the problem was, but if she allowed some of her healing power to start the healing process, then at least he would be better off.

"You should be okay, but tell me if it gets worse," she said. "Now, let's get you back to the mansion before Naruto starts to flip. The sun is already starting to go down."

**--**

"So what do we have to do tomorrow?" Neji asked as he ducked out of the way of an oncoming kunai.

"Finalize the guest list and start getting invitations ready." Tenten started to step backwards as Neji charged forward, ready for some hand to hand combat. "And I want to start thinking about cake. And food. We must decide on food." Tenten blocked Neji's punch and sent a kick towards his stomach which he sidestepped.

"Alright. How many people are coming?"

Tenten threw punches repeatedly at her fiancé. "Hinata and I estimate…about seventy-five. So not that many."

'_Thank Kami,'_ Neji thought. It's not that he didn't care about this wedding, it just that he didn't want to have to cater to more people than necessary. A small, simple wedding was what he wanted. He knew that Tenten wanted the same thing.

"And I don't know if everyone on the list will come so it could be less." Tenten jumped up and let a rain of senbon shower down, pouring over Neji. At the last second the man started to spin, enclosed in a chakra shield. "Rotation!"

Tenten landed and she and Neji faced off, both panting slightly. Off to the side, Hinata and Hanabi watched their fighting with interest.

"Really, who goes over wedding plans in the middle of sparring?" the younger Hyuuga girls asked her older sibling. Hinata smiled and shook her head.

"They do apparently," Hinata answered.

"Tenten, honestly when do you plan on moving in? Before or after the wedding?" Neji wanted to know. He and Tenten really hadn't gone over this and whenever he tried to ask she would always wave him off.

"Before I guess." Tenten answered. She stood up straight and stretched her arms above her head. She was having some difficulty about even thinking of selling her apartment. That was her home. She had lived there for as long as she could remember. And she had grown so attached to it, it was just hard leaving it behind. But still, she knew she would have to give it up sooner rather than later. She was going to move in with her fiancé, get married, and live happily ever after as Hyuuga Tenten. Weird.

"Well, why not get it over with soon? That way it's out of the way and one less thing you have to worry about." Neji answered and walked over to his two cousins, taking one of the tea cups set out.

Tenten knew he was right, why deny it? She had been thinking about it for a while now. She had repeatedly told herself to just get it over with. Just sort through her things, take what she needed or really wanted, and sell the rest. It wouldn't be too hard right?

"Alright Neji." Tenten said and joined him, sitting between him and Hinabi. "I'll sort through my things tomorrow and get everything ready for moving. Sound okay?"

Neji nodded and took a drink of his tea. "I'll help you,"

"Good. Then by next week, I'll be all moved in with you. Shouldn't be a problem since I practically live here anyways. I already fit in."

"You do," Hinata answered. "Father really has taken a liking to you. And so have many of the other family members. You have nothing to worry about, living here."

Tenten smiled at her friend. "I guess you're right."

**--**

**Alright! One more chapter down! I fell as though I should start rushing along. Things just seem to be taking too long. I want to wrap up this story so that I can get the sequel up and going before I lose all of my ideas. I'll be thinking about the ending here soon, although I think it is many, many chapters away.**

**And no evil bastard will ever discourage me from writing! Never!**


	44. Love

Thank you all for your support

**Thank you all for your support. No one could ever discourage me from continuing this story. So, once more, I thank you all. You know I love all of you, my fans, very much. Without you, there really wouldn't be a story now would there? So for all of that, I will be allowing anonymous reviews again. I really don't like disallowing anyone from sending in their thoughts on my STORY. Not FAMILY. If I get another message from the 'hater', well, they can go suck an egg.**

**I haven't put up a disclaimer in a bit have I? Well, here we go.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Naruto. Otherwise I'd force Naruto to eat his vegetables and laugh like a maniac as he suffers! Muhahahaha! And I'd make Sasuke break-dance at random moments while singing Michael Jackson. Kakashi would sing in a tutu. And Jiraiya would be afraid of women. Because that would just be too funny neh?**

**Dedicated to my beloved **_**Rachel**_** who has been bothering me to deliver some lovely fluff. **

**Alright, onward my fellow Pinjas!**

**--**

Sakura walked through the Hokage Mansion, intent on making it to Sasuke's room. She traveled down the empty hallway and stopped outside his door, knocking loudly. It was eight in the morning and she was burning to start training (no pun intended).

There wasn't an answer and she grasped the door knob. It opened and the door swung inward, revealing Sasuke's living space.

Just like many other guest rooms in the mansion, it was extravagate. The room was a suite, providing everything anyone would need, as if living in their own mini apartment. A small kitchen and living room, bedroom, bathroom. The only thin missing was a washer and dryer, but hell, a walk to the cleaners wouldn't kill anyone right? She only wished that Kakashi and Genma would do their own laundry. No matter how much praise she got from them, there was a limit to the amount of boxers she was willing to handle.

"Sasuke, you here?" Sakura called. Of course he would be here since his door was unlocked but still, you could never be too sure. A door opened down the small hallway and Sakura made her way down there. She peered into the steam filled room to see Sasuke standing in a towel, water droplets running over his chest and stomach. His hair was out of its normal fashion. It wasn't spiked up like usual, but instead completely hanging down, framing his face and lining his neck. She found that she like his hair 'down' just as much as spiked up.

"I'd figured you would have already showered and would have been ready for me," she said. Sasuke wiped the mirror off with his hand and looked at his clean, scowling face.

"Well sorry for not delivering what you expected," Sasuke retorted. He pulled his fingers through his hair, parting his bangs away from the rest. Sakura rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, not moved by it at all.

"Have you eaten yet at least?" she questioned while idly inspecting her nails.

"No."

"Do you want me to make you anything?"

"No.

"Because I will not do a thing if you complain of hunger."

"I'm not Naruto."

"Nor will I attempt to save you if you are on the ground, passed out from hunger."

"You really do love me don't you?" Sasuke said, now somewhat amused. He moved out of the bathroom and across the hallway to his bedroom. He went over to the dresser which wasn't stuffed, but had enough clothes. He opened and started to pull out the items he was going to wear.

"Of course I do." Sakura smiled and walked over to his bed, plopping herself down.

"And you're not going to let me change in privacy are you?" he asked, throwing her a look. Sakura looked back innocently with wide eyes and her lips tugged into a pout.

"I have to leave?"

Sasuke loosened the towel around his waist. "No," he said simply, shortly. Before Sakura knew it, the towel had slipped off completely and she was getting one hell of a sight. She didn't look surprised, shocked, none of that. Why should she when she was already familiar with his body? Nothing she hadn't seen before.

Still, the urge to jump him was strong. _Very_ strong. _'Keep yourself under control,'_ she hissed in her mind. Sakura contorted her face, making her appear totally uninterested. Once more she inspected her nails, knowing there was nothing wrong with them. Her inner self was howling at the sight she had just seen and trying to coax her body into tying the man down, training be damned.

"The place we're going," Sasuke began, tucking his overly large white shirt into his pants. He took hold of the black rope and began to tie it around his waist, knotting it on the side and letting the two end strands fall over by his thigh. He then started to adjust the top of his white shirt, giving Sakura a delicious view of his chest. "Is over near the Uchiha compound. We'll train at the pond, the place where I started training to use the fireball jutsu."

Sakura nodded, gulping to try and fix the problem with her dry throat. "Alright," she gasped and stood up off of the bed. Sasuke was already making his way out the door. "Sasuke," she called to him, not entirely sure what motivated her to do so. The man stopped and looked back over his shoulder. Sakura advanced forward, unable to control herself. She leaned up into his body, standing on her tip-toes, and kissed him.

"I love you."

**--**

Hinata was nervous. She knew Naruto shouldn't have skipped out on morning duties to take her out to breakfast. He had continually told her that everything was fine; there were people who could cover for him. She wasn't fully convinced and had played with her food more than she ate it. Naruto obviously didn't realize how much he was burdening her. Hinata was having the impression that if something happened when Naruto wasn't in his office, she was to blame.

As the pair walked through the maroon hallways to his office, Naruto chattered on about random Hokage duty nonsense and the girl listened like a good girlfriend. She felt a pang of sympathy when Naruto explained that he felt like he was expected to do everything and to know everything. She reminded him softly that he _was_ indeed the Hokage and that he was in charge of the village. Naruto grinned.

"You're right Hinata-chan. It would be great if you could work with me you know. Like a secretary. You could take over for Shizune-nee-san." The man sounded enthusiastic about the idea and starting harboring ways to make it a reality. Being the Hokage and being able to spend a lot of time with his Hinata-chan sounded perfect.

"W-well," Hinata was started by the thought. She'd love to do it, but could she actually do it? It wouldn't be as much responsibility as being head of her whole clan, but it would still be important. "It would be nice wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah! We'd be a real team, taking care of the whole village together," Naruto sighed. His face looked dreamy and he nearly walked by his office.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata giggled and opened the office door. Naruto stopped, rubbed his head and walked in the door that Hinata was holding open for him.

"Ah, guess I got distracted. Look what you do Hinata, you totally mess up my mind. In a good way of course." Naruto walked forward and was now face to face with a grumpy looking ex-Hokage.

"I'm sure you've had a good morning now did you?" Tsunade asked, hands on her hip. Her amber eyes were narrowed and she leaned back, turning her back on the boy and moving to stand by Jiraiya who was grinning.

"Yup," Naruto cheered, and the other occupants of the room didn't know if the fact that Tsunade wasn't pleased relayed to him. Hinata bowed slightly to the older woman.

"Gomen Tsunade-sama. We went to breakfast, and I tried to tell Naruto he shouldn't be away from the office."

Tsunade put up a hand, signaling for the girl to stop. "I understand Hinata. Don't worry about it." Naruto advanced over to his desk and sat down in his chair. He looked over the pile of papers on his desk and stuck his tongue out at them.

"Why are you here anyways Obaa-chan?" he asked.

Tsunade glared at him, never having gotten used to the nickname. Really, she was using her genjutsu to make her look younger for a reason. Just because Naruto knew what her age relatively was didn't give him the right to call her grandma. "You know Christmas is soon. Just over a week away. And Jiraiya is leaving tomorrow."

Hinata took notice of Tsunade's disgruntled look and instantly picked up on something. Naruto was oblivious. "Yeah, so?" the blonde Hokage said impatiently. Hinata shook her head lightly.

"Brat, don't rush me. We don't have to give you your present you know!"

The Rokudaime's ears picked up on the word 'present' and he instantly smiled. "A present? For me? What is it!?" He was practically jumping in his seat. The older man standing against the wall stepped forward, a nicely wrapped parcel in his hands. He placed it on the desk before Naruto who looked at it as if he were a dog staring at nice juicy stake.

"A gift from your Godfather and the old woman behind me," the white haired sannin chuckled. His body was already tense, preparing from the onslaught he was expecting from Tsunade. He was right in preparing because in the next instant, the blonde smacked him on the head, hard enough to leave a nice sized bump.

"Easy on me woman, I'm a bit more breakable than I was when we were younger," Jiraiya hissed and rubbed his head. The sound of Naruto's voice brought both sannin to attention.

"Kore wa…" Naruto looked at the cloth that he had just extracted from the wrappings. He unfolded his gift and held it before him, the ends just barely touching the ground. Naruto stood up to examine it better. It was a jacket, long and white with a red fire-like pattern at the bottom. It was short-sleeved and smelled like the cleaners. "Thank you." He sounded a little off. He wasn't sure what he was to think of it. It looked cool, that was for sure but it was just different than what he would have expected from the two sannin.

"You have no idea what that is, do you?" Tsunade asked with a smile. Her eyes were lit up, loving the reaction that Naruto had. She found it so funny that he looked completely confused.

"A jacket right?" Naruto said, unsure if he sounded stupid or not. What if it really wasn't a jacket? That would be embarrassing.

Jiraiya sighed, though he really couldn't expect Naruto to know where the jacket was actually from. "That jacket is very special Naruto. It's not new or anything." He watched as the Rokudaime took off his own bright orange jacket and slipped his arms into his present. Tsunade gasped and caught onto Jiraiya's arm, having to steady herself from the sight. Jiraiya suppressed a chuckled and placed his hand on the small of her back to keep her upright.

It was amazing just how much Naruto actually looked like his father. His hair was longer, in a very similar style as Minato's. They both possessed bright blue eyes that shone with the ecstasy they got off of life. They were rambunctious, strong-willed, and incredibly strong. It was amazing really. You could see how much maturity Naruto had gained, just by looking at his face. He _was_ Minato, just with whiskers.

"Naruto," Tsunade said once more after she had found her voice. Just the sight of Naruto wearing the jacket really caught her off guard, like the Yodaime had come back from the dead. "That jacket belonged to your father. Jiraiya and I thought it would be best that you have it."

Naruto now ran his hands over the material, feeling the smoothness of it. So his father had worn this. He felt some kind of pride swell up within him. His father had been one of the greatest Hokage's, one of the greatest shinobi in history. Just being able to say that he was the son of the fourth Hokage, the savior of the village, was too great for words. "I bet I look just like him now don't I?"

Tsunade shook her head. "You have no idea," she announced. The Godaime placed her cheek on her upturned palm and grinned.

There was a moment of silence before Naruto spoke. "So you're going out tomorrow Ero-sannin?" he asked mindlessly and sat down in his chair again. He motioned for Hinata to come over to his side where he pulled the girl down into his lap, causing her to blush.

Jiraiya frowned upon the name and nodded, his eyes closed. The older man crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll be gone for a bit. I need to keep up with Akatsuki's movements." Naruto understood and nodded his head from its place on Hinata's shoulder. "Which reminds me." The novelist threw Tsunade a look and the woman looked away, not sure whether she agreed with him or not. They had talked before they came to deliver Naruto's present. She wasn't sure if now was the right time, but better get everything over with early right?

"What is it?"

He looked completely serious. Tsunade did as well when she finally gathered herself to look over at Naruto. The man looked between his mentor and the ex-Hokage curiously. Hinata did as well and began to hope that she wasn't intruding on anything.

"You promise that this will never leave the office. Naruto, you have the right to know seeing as you are the Hokage. Hinata, you promise not to relay this information to anyone right?" Jiraiya asked, as he gave the girl a stern look. Hinata quickly inclined her head.

"I promise Jiraiya-sama," the girl said. Jiraiya nodded.

"So this stays here. No one is to find out…especially Sasuke."

**--**

"Christmas is next week."

Sakura announced this out of nowhere as she and Sasuke walked down the street. Even in the chilly air there was still a good amount of people out, selling items on the side of the street. There was also a good amount of customers, rushing around trying to gather Christmas gifts for their loved ones. Sakura knew she still had to make a trip to get gifts for all of her friends.

"Hn," was her reply from the man on her side. It wasn't hard to figure out who the 'grinch' was in the village. It wasn't that Sasuke disliked Christmas, he had just never found any holiday to be particularly important. Not even his own birthday. To Sasuke, it was just another day out of three hundred and sixty four others.

"I can see you're going to enjoy it huh?" Sakura suggested sarcastically. She admired all of the shops that were getting into the season. Little Christmas decorations were seen and it brought a smile to her face. She had always loved Christmas. And this would be her first Christmas with Sasuke back. That one fact made everything even better.

Later on, they had made it to the pond. No one else was around, the area generally being unpopulated. They were in an area located between the Uchiha and Hyuuga compounds.

Sakura looked out at the pond, loving how the early morning sun sparkled on the surface. There was a light breeze that blew her hair back out of her face and she breathed in deeply. She loved the area that she lived in. The weather was perfect and it was so serene. The perfect place for growing up and raising your own children. That's what she thought.

The medic followed behind Sasuke as he led her down off the path and down a hill. He headed off towards a dock. Sakura looked down over the edge and could see small fish swimming bellow the clear waters.

"This," Sasuke spoke, "is the exact place where I learned to use this jutsu years ago. My father taught me."

Sakura nodded, itching to get started. She felt excited to be able to learn a new jutsu, one that she had never really thought of learning before. She was still curious as to what her chakra element type was. Fire, earth, water? What could it be? And even if she didn't have a fire-type chakra, would she still be able to learn this jutsu? Her chakra control was outstanding, better than a good portion of all the other shinobi in the village, but would that matter? Chakra really was everything in a jutsu, but still, there were doubts in her mind.

After a quick show of the hand seals Sakura would need, Sasuke went on explaining. "My father always told me," he said, "to gather your chakra somewhere between your chest and throat. Gather it up and after performing the hand seals, just let it out."

The way Sasuke said it made it sound incredibly easy. But Sakura knew better. When learning a new jutsu, it was never as easy as it sounded. Like when she was learning to put up the chakra shield around her. Though she couldn't be blamed. She had been pregnant at the time. But she wasn't willing to think about that at the moment.

Sasuke stood with his hands on his hips, watching the determined face of Sakura as she started the hand seals for the jutsu. She ended on the last seal, tiger, and her hands stayed in that position as she took a deep breath and blew out of her mouth. Really, Sasuke couldn't say he was surprised.

It wasn't a true fireball, but for performing the jutsu for the first time ever, he was mildly impressed. Sakura had managed to expel a medium sized ball of flames that was just bigger than she was. It flew from her mouth and traveled across the water's surface, causing ripples to dance along. Sure it wasn't the grand old size like Sasuke's, but he had this jutsu mastered. She just did it for the first time and already she was doing fine. She really did love her chakra control and ability to learn fast. Score man!

"Not bad," Sasuke smirked. Sakura beamed, proud of her achievements. "If you are able to learn this one quickly enough, maybe I can teach you something else."

"That," Sakura said, "would be awesome." Then she turned back towards the body of water and prepared herself to give the jutsu one more go.

**--**

Ino had been forced to go home and get some rest. First by her mother. Then by Shikamaru's mother. Then her dad said it in a stern fatherly way. But what really made her go was when, believe it or not, Shikaku had casually suggested it when Shikamaru was sleeping and the two were in his room by themselves.

"I know you're all right," she spoke and shifted Shina up in her arms. "But it's really hard you know. I don't want to leave his side in case he remembers something or if something happens." Shikaku could at least understand where she was coming from.

The laidback father leaned back in his seat, arms being placed behind his head, eyes closed. "I'm just suggesting it. You look exhausted. But it's your call; I'm in no place to tell you what to do."

The door opened and in walked the other three parents. Tsumi smiled at Ino. "Dear, I'm telling you. You really should go home and rest. Yoshino-san and I can go with you and take care of the little one." The woman walked over and carefully stole her granddaughter away, placing a kiss on the infant's chubby cheek.

"I know you're right. Are you all going home?" She received nods. Ino yawned, trying to conceal it behind her hand. Yawning was never an easy thing to hide. Blue eyes looked over at Shikamaru, who was sleeping soundly. His injuries were healing properly, perfectly. She had been informed that he could come home in a few days, whether his memory had returned or not. She had been thrilled and thought that being back home would help his memories.

Ino stood up and walked over to the bed, leaning over it. "I'll be back later Shika-kun," she whispered and placed a tender kiss on his lips. "I love you." Her hand lingered, trailing through his hair for a moment before she turned around, walking behind her father as they left.

**--**

"I think I'm getting the hang of this."

They had been working for only an hour and already, Sakura had a very good start on the jutsu. She hadn't had problems with the jutsu and she found herself feeling very prideful. Not only had she been able to get a new jutsu at record time, but this was probably scoring her good points with Sasuke. Not that she really needed them.

"I think you've had enough," Sasuke said as he noticed the small burns around her mouth. He had remembered having similar burns, remembered his mother bandaging them up. He smiled slightly at the faint memory of his mother, her smiling face playing in his mind.

"What are you smiling about?" Sakura asked as she healed her burns. Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing," he replied. "I have to ask," he questioned, having found that talking about different jutsu brought this to his mind. "Have you learned the summoning jutsu?"

Sakura flushed. She turned around and began to walk towards the hill, knowing that she had earned a break. "I haven't," she spoke. Sasuke followed behind.

The pink haired woman now felt pathetic. The summoning jutsu? She had always wanted to learn it, but never had she asked Tsunade about it. She wasn't sure how necessary of a jutsu was, plus she had been so busy with medical studies through the years, it just never fit in. But now that she thought about it, it seemed to be one thing that she should have learned. Naruto had learned when he was twelve, Sasuke learned who knows when, Kakashi as well. She was left out, except for Sai. She was sure he couldn't summon anything, he just drew his animals.

Sakura took a seat on the hill and laid down on her back. She placed her arm over her eyes to keep the bright afternoon sun out of her eyes. Sasuke sat beside her and placed his hands behind him, supporting himself on his palms.

"So," Sakura breathed out. Sasuke remained silent, something she expected. She couldn't think of anything to say. Her mind was drawing a blank and really, she just wanted to have a nice conversation with him. But what? What was she to say? And really, she was afraid saying something stupid. Or being boring. Okay, so it was Sasuke and maybe he wouldn't get bored, but really, who wants to be boring?

Out of nowhere, Sakura could feel her hand being taken into another larger, stronger one. She glanced over at Sasuke and could see that he too had taken to lying down, his ebony eyes closed. His hand had snaked out and took a hold of hers. One of the man's eyes opened and he glanced at Sakura, obviously having felt her staring. "Do you not like this?" he asked.

Sakura was rendered speechless by this baffling act. Sasuke was growing more and more curious everyday with his surprising, warm acts of affection. It made her wonder if he really was capable of such affection for a long period of time. Could he remain this way if they got married? Could he stay warm to her through their marriage?

Right now, at this moment, Sakura really couldn't care less. She didn't want to think of the future right now. She wanted to focus on the now, where she was currently with Sasuke.

"I like it a lot."

**--**

"Do you like this one?"

"It's…alright. Maybe a bit too sweet."

"I was thinking the same thing. How about the chocolate? I thought it was good. Especially with the butter cream frosting."

"Yeah. It was fine."

"Well, fine isn't a decision Neji."

"…"

"Oh! Try the vanilla with the strawberry filling in the middle. The one right there with the rose."

"…"

"Good ne?"

Nod, nod.

"I thought so. But I'm still unsure of which to choose. The marble cake is good to."

"I like the chocolate the best."

"I'm not sure."

"…"

"How are you both doing here?"

"Oh, we're fine thank you. Could we try that other chocolate with the vanilla cream middle and the strawberry frosting?"

"Of course, I'll get it for you."

"Thank you. I think that one will be really good. You think so Neji?"

"I like other chocolate just fine."

"Just give this one a try. That will be the last one and then we'll make our decision."

"Hn."

"Here you are, chocolate cream with strawberry frosting."

"Arigato-gozaimasu.…Mm. Ii desu, ne? It's good right?"

Nod, nod.

"So we should get this chocolate one."

"…"

"Awesome. Ma'am. We've made a decision."

"Alright. If you would like to, we can start going over design."

"Yes, that'd be good."

"I still liked the other chocolate one better."

**--**

"You're going to be gone for a while aren't you."

She received a nod in confirmation. Tsunade bit her lip and turned her head, her hand reaching out for her small cup. She downed a helping of sake to remove the look of concern from her face. She hated her vulnerability when it came to the one person she cared about over all others. "How long?" she asked.

"Who knows," Jiraiya answered, swirling his own small sake cup. His eyes were slightly blank, his feelings mixed. "It could be months."

Tsunade sighed and leaned back into her couch. She looked over Jiraiya's head and watched as the sun began to slowly sink down the horizon. The time she and Jiraiya had together was growing smaller by the second and she could feel her heart yearning more and more for him to stay here with her. What he did was dangerous work. Whether he was a sannin or a genin, it was dangerous either way. Already, she feared for him.

"Take me with you," she asked, not truly pleading but asking sincerely. She wanted to go with him, be at his side. Two sannin were better than one. She could heal them if they got hurt, and she would be there with him, so she could do her part in protecting him if it was needed.

"No." The order was firm and final. "You are needed here more than you are with me. I know you're concerned Tsunade, but I can't let you come."

"If you're concerned for my safety then forget it! I've survived on my own Jiraiya! And what about you? I could heal you if you got hurt. I would benefit you know!" Tsunade felt that she had to put up an argument in her defense. She had lost too many people close to her. Just the thought of her friend, the one she had irrevocably fallen in love with, being hurt, killed, murdered. It was inconceivable and her heart stopped for a second. "Do you not understand how hard it is, how hard it was every time knowing that you were leaving. I never know if you're going to come back!"

Why she was confessing everything now, she couldn't understand. Maybe because she knew things were getting even more dangerous these days? But since she was spilling out the things she had always worked so hard to fight down, lock inside, and cover up, it was all proof that she cared. Truly cared. Tsunade didn't want Jiraiya to go. But this was his way of performing duties for his home land. He did this for the protection of others. Risking his life to keep everyone safe.

"I understand that you don't want me to go Tsunade," Jiraiya spoke, watching the woman over his cup. He wanted her to meet his eyes but she was refusing to look at him, instead focusing on her own cup. The room was growing dark as the sun continued to disappear. It was extremely quiet in Tsunade's apartment, the lack of outside sounds that could be heard from other housings in the village absent.

"You say that you understand, but do you really?" Her words had a bit of bite to them and Jiraiya gave up trying to catch her eye. She refused to look up. Instead, he stood up and moved in beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"You know Tsunade," he spoke. Neither of them looked at each other, instead they gazed out at the sunset through the sliding glass door. "We've learned through our lives that when you are a shinobi, you don't let your emotions show. But still, it's good to let everything out. You don't have to show a strong, stone face all day long. We'd all go insane if we did." He chuckled but got nothing out of the woman. "Look, what I'm saying is to let everything out. All of your grief, your fear, anger. Cry if you have to."

His words cut right into Tsunade. He was right and she had always believed that you didn't have to be stone cold to be a good shinobi. It was better to let everything out or else you would explode. But Tsunade had always been strong, never showing her emotions (set aside anger and annoyance) often. It was usually in privacy that she would really let go. But even that wasn't often. She felt things, like any other human. But she had always pushed those feelings away and focused on what she needed to.

So she let go. And she leaned into Jiraiya's side, wanting to feel his warmth and steal the comfort he provided. "Just take me with you," she asked once more, her voice softer now, pleading slightly.

Jiraiya shook his head and leaned over, first kissing the woman's forehead, then her cheek, and lastly, briefly, her lips, causing her eyes to flutter shut.

"No."

**--**

They had gone to lunch not long after their relaxation time on the hill. Then afterwards, Sakura insisted that they browse through stores since she wanted to at least get an idea of what she would get for her Christmas shopping. Sasuke had followed behind her, giving small hints that he wanted to go, that she should decide if she wanted the item she had or not, that she was a slow shopper. The more he complained, the more time she took checking out each thing she observed.

Then they had ventured back to the pond. They had decided that a bit of sparring would be good, a rematch of sorts to make up for yesterdays events. Sasuke didn't hold back nearly as much as he had previously.

After Sakura had healed the small injuries they had acquired during their fighting, the pair had once again taken to relaxing on the hill. The day was wearing down as the sun finally disappeared. A full moon shone down on them and the stars glistened with silent beauty. It grew cooler, but the temperature was bearable. The small chirpings of crickets were heard and the nocturnal animals began to rouse from their daily slumber. Fireflies buzzed around, their lights flickering on and off.

Really, the nightlife out here was spectacular.

Sakura and Sasuke were both lying in the grass. The medic had taken off her shoes and let her toes play in the soft blades beneath her feet. She couldn't help but smile as the scene played out before her. A perfect night with the one she loved. It was like something ripped out of a sappy romance movie. It was the kind of thing that seemed too perfect to ever come true. Like it was just too surreal.

"What do you really think is in store for us? I've always thought of the future, but my views are constantly changing," Sakura said as she charted out different constellations in the sky. Her fingers itched to entwine with Sasuke's but she held back, unsure of how much affection he would allow for one day. Though Sasuke was changing, opening himself up more, he still had traits of his old self. But Sakura didn't mind that. She wanted Sasuke to change, but she didn't want him to become totally different and lose all his old self. He could be the same old Sasuke, only a little nicer, warmer.

"…" Sasuke was clueless on how to answer her question. What did the future hold for them? He wasn't a fortune teller, that was for sure. He had never been one to focus on his life in the future. He really only focused on certain things. Like before when he was younger. All he had seen in his future was killing his brother. And now that that is done and over with, he had started to focus on rebuilding his clan. He now blamed Sakura for changing his look upon futuristic events. He didn't feel as determined to rebuild his clan now, at least not right away. He did think the sooner the better, but he now also thought about letting nature take its course. Fall in love and have children, instead of rushing right in and creating a baby when there was no love between the parents. How could he have ever thought that in the first place?

"What do you think?" he asked.

Sakura's eyes drifted upward for a moment as she thought. She took a deep breath and got her thoughts in order. "I'm really not sure. All the time my thoughts on where I would be in the future were changing. Like, maybe I'd be an even better medical ninja. Or maybe I would join higher ranks, like ANBU or something. Then I've thought about relationships, getting married, and having children. But the latter always seemed to turn out the same way. Marry the perfect guy and have two perfect little children who would grow up to be amazing shinobi. But our dreams never turn out how we want do they?" she chuckled.

Shaking his head, Sasuke answered, "Most of the time they don't. But who knows right?"

Sakura had been looking at the man and turned her head away, once again gazing up at the stars. "Yeah. Who knows?" She wanted to say more, she knew there was more on her mind. And when other time except now than to get everything off her chest. "So, are you really sure about picking me to marry?" she asked, almost sarcastically. She was partly serious.

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his bangs. Oh how he would love to nail it into her head that he loved her. He still felt very different, as though he were exposed, every time he even thought about loving her. But he did. It was just hard to think that, he was in love with a girl. Someone he had once thought of as annoying. It really was strange. Time did change people though. "Sakura, I love you and you know that. I really don't have any other reason. You are the one I want to marry, no one else."

Sakura smiled. She had already known that, she just wanted to hear it from him. Just hearing the words come from him, falling from his lips gave her a huge satisfaction. It was always better to hear the words and being able to truly believe them, than having to assume a fact. It made her feel a lot better.

Almost hesitantly she rolled over onto her side and sat up on her elbows, just looking at Sasuke's pale, seemingly perfect face. Onyx eyes that now held a light she hadn't seen before sparked an unknown lust within her. The look he was giving her, his eyes smoldering and drawing her in. It was impossible to resist.

Her hands entangled in his hair as she crushed their lips together. She pulled him closer, wanting to feel his skin against hers. Sasuke had a dominate sensation run through him and he flipped over onto her back and was suddenly over top of the girl, their lips never once separating. The feeling of flesh meeting flesh sent vibrant warm flares through Sakura's body as their tongues met. She practically melted.

She could feel his hands traveling over her, relishing the feeling of her perfect body. The feeling of his hands running under her shirt made a newfound lust pool in her belly. Her hands roamed down his neck, over his shoulders, and to his back where she pulled him closer to her. They broke apart for air and Sakura was gasping for her breath that had been stolen away. Her eyes were clenched shut and she felt his lips descend to her neck, her back arching naturally to his touch.

"Dear Kami…" she breathed heavily.

Sasuke smirked against her skin and nipped with his teeth, earning a gasp of ecstasy. Sakura's hands made their way to Sasuke's chest where she yanked on his shirt, un-tucking it. She slid the material down his shoulders and over his arms. Sasuke sat up and slid it the rest of the way off. Sakura wasted no time in exploring his skin. It was such familiar territory yet she felt as though she was just discovering it. Pale skin, toned muscles, old scars, new scars. It was all her property too. She had claimed him, he was hers. No one else's.

Once more his lips were on hers; hungrily feeding the lust was building up. Sasuke felt the fire within him burn hotter with each passing moment. The urge to delve on this woman had never been so strong. He had never felt anything quite like this. He couldn't decide whether he liked it or not. So he went with instinct, doing as his body told him to do.

As they broke apart, they stared at each other with emotionally clouded eyes. Both were breathing harder. Sakura took his hand, entwining their fingers and placed them on her chest, right over her heart which was beating faster than ever now. She kissed each of his fingers that were laced with her own.

"I love you," he said.

"I know," she answered.

**--**

**Well, I delivered the lovings now. So I better get some good lovings in return!**


	45. Marriage

**Alright, I ask that everyone please read my authors note at the bottom!**

**One last note. Just to make everyone even more annoyed. I can't give you a good estimate, but this story is soon to coming to a close. A few more chapters and then…it's done. Maybe an epilogue. A twisty epilogue that will lead into the sequel. When the sequel will be posted, I'm not sure. Only because I have other stories that I have stupidly ignored. (x.x)**

**Disclaimer: I'm coocoo for cocoa puffs. **

**Chapter 45**

**Author: Ebil Chameleon**

**Thanks for you addition to this chapter and your support Rach. Really, I couldn't have done it without you. So that's why this chapter is dedicated to you!**

* * *

"The estimated time for this mission is just over a week," the Hokage said with a serious face, then grinned at the occupants in his office. "But I'll expect you three to be back before that time. So go get packed, you leave in half an hour."

"Alright man!" Kiba jeered. The large hound at his side gave a deafening bark and the two proceeded to turn towards the door. Sai's face remained blank, his meaningless smile never faltering.

"I'll see you later," he said, his words meant for his pink haired teammate. He turned and followed Kiba's path out the doorway.

Sakura sighed, her forehead resting in the palm of her hand. She shifted her weight to her right leg, her hip pushed out. "You hate me," she said in a low tone. Naruto looked up at her, smiling still.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan," he apologized. He gazed at her sympathetically, happy for the distraction from his paperwork. "But you three were the only suitable ones that were available. I was only going to have those two go, but you know how they both are. I mean, can you picture them escorting someone? Sai would creep the person out, and Kiba would annoy them so much they would probably beg for an enemy to kill them."

Sakura chuckled at her friends words, nodding her head. Naruto continued on, "So I need you to go so you can keep them under control. And that poor man would be so grateful to have you I'm sure. Just like we all are." Naruto flashed her a toothy smile. "And having a medic on hand wouldn't be all that bad." The blonde proceeded to cup one hand around his mouth, as though he were telling her a big secret. "I heard the dude is a major klutz," he whispered, then snickered teasingly.

Sakura heaved another sigh. "I get it. But those two? You're killing me!" the girl complained. She bit her lip lightly, thinking of all the things that could possibly go wrong.

"Nani? Well, I guess I understand. I mean, your whole awkwardness with Kiba could be a problem, and I know Sai can be a real douche, but you've worked with him enough that you should be used to it." Naruto watched as the girl rolled her eyes. He leaned back in his seat and placed his hands behind his head, looking completely relaxed.

"Heh. You don't know the half of it," Sakura breathed with an air of annoyance. She decided that letting Naruto in on some of the things she discovered wouldn't hurt. "Just don't say anything to him, he hasn't really figured it out yet."

"What is it?" Naruto asked eagerly, eyes brightening.

"I just found out that Sai has a little crush on me. And he can't figure it out for himself."

That's all it took. Naruto burst out laughing, much to the girl's irritation. Sakura glared but Naruto never noticed. He wiped a tear from his blue eyes and looked up at the annoyed face of his friend. "It's not funny," she growled, her fist shaking threateningly.

"Of course not Sakura-chan," he said and stifled one last laugh. Before he knew it he felt a sharp pain, his vision blurring white for a moment before it refocused, somewhat disfigured. He watched the warped back of his ex-teammate storm out of the room.

"Man she needs some anger management," he hissed, rubbing his soar head.

**--**

"Sasuke! I'm coming in!"

Sakura had knocked respectively on her boyfriend's door. After receiving no answer, she had called out to him. She knew he would be in his room, he wasn't allowed out of the mansion by himself. And she wasn't aware of anyone coming in to get him today.

The girl opened the door, surprised to find it unlocked. She would have expected to have him come and open the door for her. Instead, she found Sasuke's limp form on his couch, arm hanging over the edge. His bare chest rose and fell in rhythm with his breathing. The medic smiled to herself and softly tip-toed over to the couch. She kneeled down before him and attentively reached out to pull her finger delicately through the bangs that had fallen in his face. She would never in her life tell him that he was such an innocent looking cutie when he slept.

Deciding to rouse her prince, she leaned up and placed her lips over his.

It was like a reverse fairy tale.

Sakura pulled away and watched as the man turned over onto his side, his eyes slowly fluttering open.

Sakura grinned. "Morning," she announced, despite the time protesting that it was afternoon already. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and shut his eyes once more, grumpy that his nap was interrupted.

"Morning my ass," he groaned.

Sakura huffed and stood up before promptly sitting right on his stomach. Sasuke never made a sound at the sudden extra weight but glared up at the girl. Sakura childishly stuck her tongue out at him. "I thought I would be nice and tell you that I'm leaving for a mission today. I won't be back for a couple of days."

Sasuke sighed upon hearing the unwelcoming information. "How many days?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged.

"It was estimated to be a week, but Naruto has faith in us."

Sasuke nodded and moved, causing Sakura to nearly fall to the floor. She caught herself and plopped down beside him. "Who is 'we'?" Sasuke then asked.

She frowned, knowing that if Sasuke were to be jealous, he would never in his life show it. "Me, Sai, and Kiba," she answered, looking at him intently. Just something, she would like to see some emotion run across his face at these words. Instead he stood up and walked away from her. She watched him go to his small kitchen area and open the fridge, grabbing a carton of milk. Refusing to be like Naruto, Sasuke grabbed a clean glass from the cabinet above his head and proceeded to pour himself some.

Sakura silently fumed from where she sat. Really now, how could he not give a damn? She was going on a mission, all alone (despite their client being there) with her ex and a man who likes her. Wouldn't that bother any normal boyfriend?

Oh yeah…right. Sasuke wasn't the 'normal' boyfriend.

"Anyways," Sakura went on, "we have to escort a man Suna. He's paranoid because some rouges have been after him. Apparently he owes a few debts here and there."

Sasuke snorted. Personally, he thought that if you were stupid enough to get into such situations, you should be at least manly enough to solve it or protect yourself. "If he's in debt with people, how in the world is he paying for this mission?" Sasuke questioned, not expecting an answer in return.

"Beats me," Sakura said, standing up. She walked over to the kitchen and looked over his countertop. Tomatoes, she should have known. "But I asked Naruto that same question, and apparently he already paid."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke finished his milk and rinsed his glass out in the sink.

"Well, I just came to say bye before I left. I have to pack now in record time and make sure that Kakashi won't forget about my cat. Could you remind him whenever you see him? Or be sneaky and go check on her yourself sometime? I'd rather not have her starve or go dehydrated."

Sasuke simply nodded his head and rummaged around to find something to snack on. "Bye," he said and pointedly ignored her.

Scowling the girl turned him and kissed him deeply. Her tongue momentarily brushed over his lips before she pulled away and abruptly turned, licking her lips. "Milk," she said and left the room.

**--**

Ino set the baby carrier down as she reached into her pocket to extract her apartment keys. After opening the door, she walked through and settled in, setting the baby down and taking her out of her carrier. Shikamaru limped in awkwardly and stood, watching as Ino picked up his daughter. He saw the twinkle in Ino's eyes as she put her face right up to Shina's, talking in a cute baby voice and rubbing their noses together.

"Come sit down Shika-kun," Ino said. "Do you need help?"

Shikamaru slowly shook his head. "I'm fine. Do you need me to do anything?" he asked before he allowed himself to take a seat.

"No, that's okay," Ino decided, nestling the baby in her arms. She turned to him, "...Do you want to hold her?"

Shikamaru thought on this for a moment. It _was_ his daughter after all. Just because he didn't remember _making_ her or any of Ino's pregnancy didn't make her someone else's. His brow creased as he thought it over for a moment. "Uh, sure."

Ino raised a blonde eyebrow, moving over to him swiftly, her arms encasing the baby safely. She looked at him and his still slightly beat up form and took a deep breath. "Put your arms out like this," She instructed, holding the baby away from her chest in a cradling manner.

Feeling foolish, Shikamaru copied her as she asked.

"Okay," Ino said, leaning in towards him, "Now just remember to support her head, alright?" She gently handed him the child, a motherly air about her. As the baby transferred from her mother's arms to her father's, she didn't make a sound. Instead, she just batted her little eyelashes at him, her dark eyes taking in Shikamaru's face. Ino sat down as well, watching them interact, baby and father. Her heart clenched at the confusion and pure disbelief that was etched onto his face.

"She has my eyes," Shikamaru said, his eyes never once leaving his daughters. He felt some weird swell in his heart, a choking feeling encasing him. This was his child, his baby. Despite not remembering anything about conceiving this child, she undeniably belonged to him. If only he could remember everything – if it could all come back to him.

Shikamaru had seen the pain in Ino's face, even as she smiled. She was having a tough time right now, he knew it. Having to deal with a newborn was difficult. And having your boyfriend injured, unable to work, and having no recent memory, made everything all the more challenging.

He applauded her. Ino was a hard working mother, determined to give their baby the best life she could. And she wanted nothing more than to help Shikamaru, nurture him and help him get better. She wanted to help him restore his memories so he could enjoy his daughter that little bit more. Ino wasn't the selfish girl she had once been in her younger years. She thought of other people now, wanting to help. But despite the change, she was still Ino. The same bossy loud blonde that Shikamaru had somehow fallen in love with.

Gazing into similar brown eyes, Shikamaru allowed a smile to cross his face. Ino was grinning as well, pretending in her own mind that everything was fine. She thought, for that one moment, that they were the perfect family. The blonde believed then that there were no troubles, everything was how it should be, how she had always imagined it to be.

"We still have some things to do around here," Ino said as her eyes were pointed down the hallway. "I never got to finish the baby's room yet. I got some help and finished painting when you were…away," The blonde's eyes had shifted downwards, staring at her hands. She pushed the thought of Shikamaru leaving, the harsh words she had said to him before he left haunting her still.

"Pink right?"

Ino nodded her head blankly, not picking up on the words. She was in a daze of regret. Once the words finally set into her own mind, she nearly screamed.

"What did you just say!?" she demanded. Shikamaru was taken aback, shifting his daughter so that she was off of his injured wrist.

"Pink. The room," he said and looked at his girlfriend, seeing the sheer joy spread across her face.

"No way," the look on Ino's face was indescribable. Shikamaru finally understood what she was freaking out about and he didn't now whether to smile or not. His face remained indifferent. He remembered. He remembered having a conversation with Ino. He closed his eyes as he saw Ino, her stomach pushed out due to the developing infant inside. He remembered hearing Ino talk about painting the baby's nursery, saying how she wanted a nice girl color. Pink, she had decided, though she had thought that a splash of purple would be nice to go along with it.

But the rest…he didn't remember much of anything else.

"You…you remembered Shika-kun!" Ino wanted nothing more than to throw herself at him, to hug him tightly and kiss him into oblivion. She couldn't believe it. Finally, she thought. There was a small weight lifted off of her now, she felt like finally they were moving forward. "You don't remember anything else do you?" she questioned eagerly, unable to contain her pure joy.

"No," Shikamaru said softly, staring down at his daughter. He wished terribly that he could remember something more. He didn't want to be a burden on Ino; he didn't want to feel so helpless. He felt so stupid and really he hadn't a real reason as to why he felt that way. The weight in is arms was gone as Ino took the infant, who was now dozing off. "Sorry," Shikamaru concluded quietly, eyes fixed on the floor.

Ino held the baby in her right arm and used her to left to lift Shikamaru's chin so that he was looking directly at her. "Please, don't be. You've done nothing wrong. I'm just so happy now. You've actually remembered something and we can only go forward from there.'

The shadow manipulator met her eye and saw the light that was lit, the fire of determination and caring burning brightly and freely. Ino was one hell of a strong woman, Shikamaru thought.

**--**

"Shishou!"

Grimly Tsunade turned around, clipboard clenched to her chest as she saw her young apprentice approaching her. She didn't bother to put on a cheerful face. Her face matched her mood, fowl, angry, and purely depressed.

"I was wondering if I could get some antidotes. I'm off on a mission and I want to be fully prepared. And I kinda need to hurry; I'm nearly running late as it is." Sakura said all this in one breath, now gasping as she tried to reclaim said air. Tsunade gave her a blank look, one of which Sakura noticed. "What's wrong?"

"The antidotes are where they always are Sakura," the older woman said glumly and stiffly turned back around, wanting to get back to her other patients in the hospital to keep her mind busy. She was glad that a surgery was scheduled for today because she would need the distraction.

Jiraiya left a few days ago and already she was a nervous wreck. She had willed to keep strong and for the most part she was doing well at keeping a clear head. But there were those times where her non-stop working brain would flash morbid pictures, ones of which she would rather just forget all together. She was afraid for Jiraiya and she knew she wouldn't be able to rest easy enough until he was back in the village, safe and sound.

"Shishou, you know you can talk to me when you need too. Well, not this week since I won't be here, but once I'm back, I'm always here for you!" Sakura patted her teacher shoulder before turning off, her hand trailing down Tsunade's arm, leaving goosbumps in its wake.

**--**

From far away, Sakura decided, he didn't look bad. All she saw from the distance she was at, running breathlessly to the village gates, was a tall, tanned, blonde man. Up close, after she had caught her breath, she really got a good look at him.

He looked strange standing between Sai and Kiba, both men being shorter than him. He was tall, that's the only way she could put it. He towered over her, his lankly limbs making him appear to be like a toothpick. But she noticed that he did have muscle, that was true. His arms were bare from the sleeveless shirt he wore and there definitely was some muscle definition there. His skin was dark as well, giving him a nice sun kissed glow. His ears were pierced with small silver hoops dangling from the lobes. And his eyes…were beautiful. They were ice purple. They seemed to glow, the frosty lilac color made Sakura envious. They were partially hidden by flakes of blonde locks that fell into his face, falling out of place from the rest which framed his face, falling down his neck. Really though, he was kind of cute.

Sakura easily took the initiative to be the one to stay by the man's side. She later found out that that was a mistake she should have avoided.

Within the first half hour of walking with him, Sakura had come to know plenty about him already.

She now knew his name (Hisagi Utomo), his age (23 and a half), his favorite food (udon with chicken and roasted veggies), his favorite book (Icha Icha, should she really be surprised?), his parents names (Sakura had given up at this point, opting instead to simply nod and smile), and something that involved music, sake, and a garbage pail. What this was, she would never ask. But the last thing she found out, this guy refused to shut up.

She thanked all of her lucky stars when Kiba had come up to rescue her. He lightly tapped her shoulder and motioned her back, the pair falling back a bit behind Hisagi and Sai. Sakura watched as Hisagi's attention moved to the stoic artist, whether he took Sai by surprise or not was a complete mystery. He just kept smiling his same old fake smile.

"Thanks," Sakura breathed quietly, not wanting Hisagi to hear her words. Kiba chuckled at the strain in her voice.

"I figured you would appreciate it," he said. Akamaru gave a bark and Kiba rubbed the mutt behind its ear, coaxing a smile form the hound. "Want to ride?" Kiba asked and Sakura understood that he was asking if she would like a ride on Akamaru. Shaking her head, she declined.

"I'm alright, thanks," she said and looked at the path ahead. She watched as Hisagi continued to talk to Sai, stopping only when the pale boy said something in return. Amusedly, Sakura witnessed their clients face freeze up, the man looking truly horrified. She figured that she should move and go rescue him but decided against it, finding it more amusing just to watch.

"Should we help him?" Kiba asked, also noticing the face Hisagi made. The blonde man had now moved a few paces away from Sai and glanced back at the two behind him pleadingly.

Sakura grinned at him. "Nope."

**--**

Today was Christmas.

Truthfully, Sasuke hadn't regarded the date at all until he noticed Naruto in the hallway of the Hokage mansion eating what appeared to be a chocolate that he had extracted from a large box with a ribbon on top. Sasuke was on his way back to his room after having successfully sneaking into Kakashi and Genma's place to check up on Shira. He did promise after all. Luckily it seemed like the kitten was well taken care of, just in need of some attention.

He considered himself lucky that he was close enough to his room that Naruto wouldn't be overly suspicious about why he wasn't _in_ his room. But at the moment the Hokage really didn't seem to care about the brooding man at all at this point, not until Sasuke made a comment.

"Finally got a fan club who loves you loser?"

Scowling Naruto argued back, "Shut it teme! Just because I'm getting an overload of Christmas presents from people who really do love me, doesn't' mean you have to be jealous of me! And Merry Christmas to you too!" Naruto growled, licked his lips and turned abruptly, walking back towards his office.

Sasuke glared at the Rokudaime's back and clenched his jaw. _Christmas?_ Ah, Sakura had mentioned before that Christmas was soon. He had totally forgotten. Well, he really wasn't one for holidays. They weren't all that special to him.

Sasuke had expected Sakura to be back from her mission already by now though. It had been nearly a week, six days to be exact and as far as he knew, she still wasn't back. He wasn't worried at all. Instead, though he would never admit it, he was slightly anxious for her to get back. He remained as cool as ever but he had urged her in his head to come home sooner. He found that without her here he felt more locked up in his room. He had gone out on his own accord at time to train at least once a day, but he really had been good lately, not stepping too far out of line from his rights. He was being a good boy to say the least. He had even, much to his distaste, helped Naruto in his office one day due to the absence of Shizune. He thought that should score him some privileges and rights but Naruto obviously thought otherwise. That or the blonde had forgotten that Sasuke was on probation in the first place. Maybe he should try to ask for some missions or something?

Sasuke wondered vaguely to himself if Sakura would be back by today for Christmas. He was sure that she wouldn't like to miss this particular day. Then again, as far as he knew she hadn't gotten Christmas presents. And on missions, there wasn't a lot of time to go out shopping. He though, already knew what he was going to do for her gift.

Sasuke grabbed the door handle and opened the door to his room, walking inside and nearly tripping over a bag that had fallen before the door, clearly out of place. He scowled, kicking the offending object slightly. This wasn't here when he left. And it surely wasn't him anyways. Almost instantly he recognized it as Sakura's.

Questionably he turned his gaze from the bag and around the room. He noticed on his couch was the owner of the bag, passed out. He advanced over to her and noted her tired appearance. She was curled up in a tight ball, her hands under the pillow that supported her head. She was still in her ninja attire as well.

As carefully as he could, Sasuke's lifted the girl into his arms. She moaned lightly and shifted in his arms, burrowing her face into his chest before settling back to sleep. Obviously she was tired, seeing as how she was in such a deep sleep. Sasuke silently mused when the last time she had a good sleep was. He knew that the travel time from Suna to Konoha was three days and sometimes trying to sleep out in the woods was hard. The desert especially.

Sasuke brought the girl to his room and gently laid her down on his bed. She had been on her stomach on the couch before and her weapons pouch was still on. He jostled her as carefully as he could and removed the pouch, setting it down on the bedside table quietly. He then began to remove her boots, this time not as successful as he had been.

"Sasuke?"

Startled but not showing it, Sasuke's hand fell away from her boot and he looked up at her sleepy eyes. Sakura yawned widely and looked around, looking as if she had no idea where she was.

"I figured the couch would be uncomfortable."

Nodding, the girl sat up while rubbing her green orbs. "I just came by to tell you I'm back," she said and let out another yawn, shaking her head. "And since you weren't here I decided to wait and well, ended up falling asleep."

A silence enveloped the room with a strange comfortable tension. Sakura stretched her arms up towards the ceiling, her shoulders and back making snapping noises in the process. She made a face and rubbed her shoulder while muttering a quiet 'damn.'

Knowing Sasuke wouldn't say anything to her, Sakura decided to try and get some words going between the two of them. "How's everything been without me? Any serious casualties I should know about?" she quirked a brow in his direction only to see that he wasn't even looking at her.

"Not that I know of," he responded in a tone that said 'do you really expect people to tell me anything?' Deciding to keep the conversation going, Sasuke asked, "How was the mission?"

Shrugging the girl answered, "It wasn't too eventful. There really wasn't any action. No one attacked us at least. But the guy did freak out when some old man asked for directions when we were in Suna. He fell to the ground cowering when the man tapped him on his shoulder," the girl chuckled. "I still wonder how he's supposed to live there by himself."

Sasuke allowed a smirk to slide across his face. His hands reached down and pulled the girls boots off before he set them down neatly on the floor. His eyes remained on the floor as anything he could have said fled from his mind. Sakura looked around the room, her mind also drawing a blank. It was one of those awkward times where you felt awkward for not having anything to say, yet at the same time the silence wasn't all that uncomfortable. Sakura laid back a bit and buried her face into the pillow, the exhaustion from traveling settling in once more. She inhaled deeply and enjoyed the scent of Sasuke that seemed to wrap her in its tight grip.

"You hungry or anything? Or do you just want to sleep some?" Sasuke asked, finally looking at the girl. Sakura sat up once more.

"I'm not really hungry, but I don't want to sleep either. I'm alright. Is there anything you wanted to do, or anywhere you wanted to go?" she asked. Thoughtful, Sasuke decided that he should get his present for Sakura. Judging by the girl's laidback actions, she had obviously forgotten what day it was. Why not surprise her?

Sasuke glanced over at Sakura and took notice to her right hand. It was there, she still had the ring. She had it now placed on her right ring finger and it sparkled just as he remembered it. Perfect. Creeping over to her, he took her hand, much to her surprise. Sakura looked at him with wide and confused eyes, questions running wild through her mind. Just what was he doing?

The raven haired man took the ring and slid it off her finger. Once he held it between his own finger, he moved and took her left hand instead, and looked straight at her. "Sakura," he spoke, voice velvety. He was sure that this time he was going to succeed. He waited long enough and now he was sure that this was what he wanted, what they both wanted.

After so long he had learned to love, learned to open up even just a little bit. He loved this girl before him unconditionally. He hated himself for how he acted and planned on using her for his goals. He was changed, he was a better person.

"Merry Christmas," he said with a small smirk, watching as the horror was writing across her face. Yes, she had forgotten what day it was.

Before she was given the opportunity to freak out, Sasuke went ahead, asking the question he had been wanting an answer to. "Will you marry me?"

Sakura was at a lost for words. This was the first time Sasuke had asked her to marry him. All those times before, he had said it as a command almost. For once, he was asking her permission. That's exactly what she wanted; to be asked, making her feel like she had a choice instead of it sounding like he was forcing her into something. Her heart swelled with the love she possessed for this man and she felt her answer on the tip of her tongue. It seemed so sudden that he was asking her, like it came out of no where. But this was his gift to her. He wasn't merely giving her a ring, but he was willingly given himself to her, allowing her to finally have his love.

"Yes," she answered in a soft, barely audible voice. She smiled brightly, unable to hide her joy. Any bit of tiredness was instantly washed away from her and was replaced by indescribable excitement. It had taken so long for her to be sure that she could live with Sasuke, be with him out of love and not just to be used. He loved her, she had no doubt and she loved him. This is what she wanted. A bond had formed between the two, the intertwining of two souls that could never be broken.

It was perfect.

It was right.

It was what they both wanted, needed, lived for.

Now everything was how it was supposed to be.

**--**

**--**

**--**

**--**

_**--**_

_**Four months later**_

_**--**_

"Hairspray Sakura! We need it now! Stop hogging, this isn't _your_ wedding."

"Shut it pig! My hair hates me today!"

"It hates you everyday!"

"Guys, please stop. We have to be ready soon. We're starting in a few minutes."

Both girls looked over at Hinata who, upon seeing their intense stares, blushed. She turned and preoccupied herself in front of the mirror with her makeup.

Sakura sprayed one last bout of hairspray upon her pink locks and pushed them a bit, determined to ensure that they were perfect. Sakura's hair was parted, half wrapped up into a spiraling bun, the other half left to slither down her back in a silky pink river. She patted the group that ran down her back and smiled, satisfied that it was all in place.

Ino growled and grabbed the bottle from Sakura, returning back to Tenten. The blonde pushed a bouncy ringlet of hair out of her face and preceded to coat Tenten's hair with the sticky substance. "Easy with that Ino!" Tenten coughed. She was afraid to reach up and touch her hair, fear that it would feel like straw and not her actual hair. She heard Ino mutter a _'just trust me'_ and she sighed.

Ino had been working on Tenten's hair, pulling and twisting much to the brunette's displeasure. What she didn't understand was that it felt as though her friend was doing some strange intricate work of art with her hair, when really she was just supposed to curl a few pieces and leave it down. It was strange. But when Ino showed her to the single mirror in the room they were getting ready in, her fears left her and a genuine smile appeared on her face. "Its awesome Ino!" she gasped. Her bangs framed her face nicely and her hair, after being straightened then curled, was silky and she shook her head, not feeling the stringy stickiness of the hairspray, but the smooth texture of her hair. Ino was a genius.

"We need to hurry and get you into your dress," Hinata said. She was satisfied with her look, her hair wrapped up on top of her head, the bun holding her hair together in small loops. She stood up and prepared Tenten's dress. The bride to be walked over to her and stepped in the dress, pulling it up. She shimmied a bit to get it fully up and Sakura stepped up behind her and unlatched the girl's bra.

"You won't need this," the girl said smirking. Tenten rolled her eyes and slipped the straps off her shoulder, discarding the garment. Hinata began to pull the laces in the back tightly.

Once it was all done, Tenten looked at herself in the mirror, disbelief all over her face. Her halter-top dress was flawless on her. It fit snuggly to her torso, exposing her curves before it flowed to the ground in a beautiful beaded stream of white. It was perfect, everything was.

This was it, it was her wedding day. The day she had waited for, planned for, anticipated for so long. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy and her hands were shaking. She was far too anxious and she wanted to go out there and get married right away.

Sakura brought over Tenten's veil, standing before the girl and making sure it was straight. Sakura gave her friend a true smile, feeling her emotions run on overdrive. She couldn't help it when she hugged Tenten. She held her friend tight for a few moments before letting her go. "Everything is going to be perfect," she said, her eyes shining. Tenten nodded, unable to say anything back.

Ino straightened her own dress. "We have to get going, they're waiting," she said. Being the perfectionist she was, Ino moved towards Sakura and straightened the baby blue bow that settled just above her hip. Their bridesmaids' dresses had been a hassle to get, mainly color wise. In the end, all girls had agreed with Tenten's choice; strapless midnight blue dresses that ended just above the knee. To go along with it, they each had a baby blue band that tied around the waist, each tied up into a small bow at the side.

"We're coming," Sakura hissed and walked out of the room behind the blonde. Hinata looked back at Tenten who had hesitated for a moment before walking forward. Hinata smiled and reached out behind her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"Ready?"

Tenten made a quick pout before smiling. "Yeah, I've been long ready."

**--**

**Note! **

**Alright, so I really can't apologize enough for this. It's shorter than what I wanted and I had to cut out things (like the mission) just in order for me to get this chapter done. I'm so sorry for the long wait and really, there isn't much of an excuse to give you. But I've been having some problems lately (with the last few days of school, just trust me it was bad) and I'm babysitting everyday. So I don't have a lot of time. Not only that but I found it difficult to write this chapter, a lack of inspiration putting me off. But I kept trying and pushed through a lot of frustration and disappointment. **

**But hey, a lot has happened to me. I got my drivers permit, had a tragic moment of depression, had the urge to punch my sister more times than I count and a lot more. It's….blah. Not only that but I've been distracted by Kingdom Hearts 2, since my mom was nice enough to buy it for me. But trust me, I'm going to do my best to try and get the rest of the story up as soon as I can. **

**If I had to guess…I'd say there are about 3-5 chapters remaining. When they'll be done…I don't know. **

**Anyways, thanks for being patient! I really do love you all for your support. I know this isn't my best, but I tried. I hope you enjoy it regardless. **


	46. Our Finale

**It's…over.**

**Disclaimer: I will always love Naruto! Even though it's not mine!**

**I love you all. You really have been too wonderful for words. Can I say that this is the last chapter? (My predicting skills have ALWAYS sucked). **

**This chapter goes out to everyone who has stuck with me for over a year. Never got tired of me? Really? Thank you all so much. It's so sad to say that…this is it!**

* * *

**Chapter: **Our Finaly

**Author: **Ebil Chameleon

* * *

"So you going o have a magical wedding like this?"

"Huh?"

"Oh come on Forehead. You can't tell me that that engagement ring on your finger means nothing. So he finally got the balls, or did you finally accept?"

"The latter."

"You mean you refused him before? Not that I'm saying that's bad but…it's you. I mean, it's obvious that your smitten with the guy!"

"I am Ino. And I was just waiting until I knew he really loved me back. I didn't want to rush into anything you know?"

"Yeah, yeah. Good choice. Well, I'm happy for you…Sakura."

"Thanks Ino."

"So I'm your maid of honor right?"

"Of course."

"And I get to help plan, right?"

"Ino I want a nice small wedding. Nothing too big. I know Sasuke wants the same."

"Psh. You two are too…simple. He's got money, why not go for it?"

"Ino."

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Heh, you'll be begging me for help I tell you!"

* * *

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Can we…have the wedding here? In the Uchiha home?"

Sasuke looked up from his tea cup, glancing at the woman sitting across from him at the table. Sakura shifted on her floor cushion and met his look. She loved looking at him in the eyes these days. It was so different from before. He never gave her a hard, cold look anymore. These days there was a light in his dark eyes, a warmth that had never been there before.

"I guess."

Sakura smiled, lowered her gaze, finger tracing the edge of her own tea cup. Her rice lay half eaten on the table. Sasuke brought his chopsticks up to his mouth, stopping for a second to catch the look on Sakura's face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Startled the girl looked up, taken aback by the words. "Nothing. I'm just…thinking." Sasuke accepted this. True enough there was enough to think about. That past months had been eventful. Sasuke having been relieved from his probation, them moving back into the Uchiha home together. Shikamaru's memories had returned to him, and he and Ino, along with Shina, were doing just fine.

Sakura had only heard good word from Tenten after her wedding and she smiled to herself, thinking of her own marriage in the very near future. Naruto had the village running smoothly. He was highly respected, something Sakura and Sasuke knew he deserved and wanted. Last time the two talked to the Rokudaime, he had plans on popping the question to Hinata.

"However weird it may sound," Sakura said, once again gaining the attention of her fiancé, "I never would have thought things could turn out to be so….good."

Sasuke threw her a questioning look, to which she continued on, "I mean, if you think about it, things seemed to be pretty bad right? Not to place the blame, but a lot of my pain was because of you."

There was no way Sasuke could argue against that, mainly because he knew she was right. He did cause a lot of her pain, though it was unintentional. He thought back to when they were younger, when he first left the village. He hadn't meant to hurt her then, nor did he realize that he really would hurt her. He hadn't taken that thought into consideration. At that time, it was her problem for getting so attached. Now he came to understand just how damaging his leaving was. And he wouldn't leave again. Never. He had fulfilled his goals as an avenger, and now he just needed to settle down a _live_ a normal shinobi life. Whatever could be considered normal, at least.

"Things have changed Sakura. We have to let go of the past and move on," Sasuke said. Sakura snorted.

"Get that from a fortune cookie? And who are you to tell me that we have to 'let go of the past?'"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, trying to make a point. "I might not have let the past go when we were younger," he said, "But I have let it go now. I'm here with you, what more do you need?"

Sakura took his words to heart and figured that, yes, he was right. "Nothing Sasuke. You're all I need."

* * *

Maybe life was too good sometimes. In the life of a shinobi, it was only expected that you have to give things up, be it material goods, or the life of a person you love.

"_Kakashi! Come down here!"_

But you always have to remember; just because you know that that day may come, the day where you lose everything, you have to bask in what you have. Live life, don't just wait for it all to end. Enjoy what you have, love who you have, and just smile.

"_Can I help you Sakura?"_

Even when it rains, a shinobi always has to push through. And while they're pushing, they should smile, and know that they are doing good for the village. Their home. Being a shinobi is a journey. For some, it is to defend people, for others it's to prove to themselves that they are strong.

"_I have to ask you something!"_

A shinobi can never doubt themselves. They must always think positive, and see the victory in everything that they do.

"_Now what would that be Sakura?"_

Be with the ones you have, and remember the ones you have lost. Those are key things to every ninja.

"_Will you walk me down the isle?"_

* * *

"You're positive that this is what you want to do?"

"Yes Shishou. I'm ready, and I've waited long enough. I'm completely sure that this is what I want."

"I want the best for you Sakura, so I just want to be sure. You're…like a child of my own. You know, since your parents died I've always thought of you…kind of like my daughter."

"Really now. Should I call you mom?"

"It's better than grandma."

"You'll be one young looking grandma to my children don't you think?"

"Heh, I'll make all the other grandmothers out there jealous."

"Haha, yes you will."

"Really Sakura, you know you can always come to me if you need to."

"Good to know. Because…I have something to tell you…"

* * *

Sakura shifted, roused by the morning sun and a hand gently tangled in her hair, fingers sliding through the pink locks.

"Hmm, morning?" She opened her sleepy jade eyes, wanting nothing more than for the moon to kick the sun away and to go back to sleep in darkness. Sasuke began to sit up but Sakura reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him from moving any more.

"This is our last morning together while we're not married. Why not enjoy it a bit longer?"

Sasuke lay back down beside Sakura. The girl smile and leaned over to place a kiss upon his lips.

* * *

"You sure everything is ready?"

"Yes Ino, I'm pretty sure everything is set."

"Well, mommy is all set with the flower arrangements. You sure the caterers all set?"

"We already checked it with them Ino."

"Don't get frustrated with me! I'm just trying to make sure nothing screws up your wedding!"

"You mean _your_ wedding?"

"Tenten, stay out of this."

"I'll take the little one. Come to Aunt Hinata, Shina."

"I have a bottle for her in her diaper bag, Hinata, thanks. Anyways, I just want, for once, something to go perfectly for you Sakura."

"Ino,"

"I mean, you deserve it right…"

"Ino."

"After everything that's happened…"

"Ino. Shut up."

"…"

"And thank you for the concern. Now, I have something to tell you all…"

* * *

"You're going to take good care of her right?"

Sasuke looked up from his plate, food halfway to his mouth. He sighed and set his chopsticks down. Sakura glared from Sasuke's side.

"Yes," he sighed. They had already been through this a good number of times.

"No funny shit right? No running away or anything like that?"

"No."

"No what?"

"…"

"Did you mean, no _sir_?"

"…"

Sakura continued to glare though she felt a swell in her heart from the concern the man was showing. Kakashi sat at the head of the small table, smiling away , glad for the distraction so he could slip his mask down a bit to intake some sake.

"Genma..." Sakura warned. The brunette swung his gaze at her and kept his look firm, not backing down from her blazing eyes. He then narrowed his eyes at Sasuke who glared right back at him.

"Just making sure he knows to take care of my baby doll."

* * *

"You ready for tomorrow man?"

"…"

"Figured you say that. Well, I'll be there by your side to catch you when you pass out,"

"Naruto, shut it."

"Oh come! Loosen up! If you don't, I'm sure a few drinks will. It's your stag night, have some fun. You're last night not being tied to Sakura right? Man, she's going to have you whipped."

"I said shut it."

"You'll be biding to her every wish. Running her errands, buying her whatever she wants. Not to mention that if you mess up, it could really screw up sex and…"

Naruto was promptly punched in the face.

* * *

"Why am I being kicked out of my own house again?"

"Because it's tradition that the bride and groom don't see each other from sundown until the actually ceremony."

"But why is it me that has to leave?"

"Because you wouldn't have to sneak around in a wedding dress. Now out!"

"Bitch."

"Excuse me! Children are here! Children I say!" Ino held up her daughter, the baby gazing at Sasuke in wonder.

Sasuke looked past the child. "B-i-t-c-h."

Sakura came up to the front entrance and stood between her friend and fiancé. "Just do as you're told. Naruto's expecting you." She kissed him chastely, feeling that waiting until tomorrow to see him would be torture. "Out."

The door shut in Sasuke's face and he just stood there, overnight bag in hand. "Whipped," he muttered before walking off.

* * *

"How does it feel to finally be giving her away?" Genma asked Kakashi the night before the wedding, both men lounging on the couch.

"I thought I would someday. Then again, with Sakura I wasn't sure. I never thought a man would be able to even show her a ring before getting nailed in the face." Genma chuckled, Kakashi's own laughter mixing in. "But really, I've seen how the two are. They'll be just fine."

Genma smirked to himself. "Sakura is a fireball. Think Sasuke can handle her?"

Both men looked at each other. Then in unison the both opened their mouths, "Nah."

"You'll be there tomorrow won't you?"

"Me? I was invited, so I have to go right?"

Looking away, Tsunade answered, "Not necessarily."

"I've known Sakura for a long time now. She's grown on me, you know? Even if she likes to beat on me just as much as you do."

Tsunade glared at the man and sat forward in her chair, gazing out to watch the twinkling lights of the village.

"I would ask if she's alright, but you look worried yourself."

Scowling, the Godaime answered, "I'm just…hoping she made the right decision. But…I'm happy for her at the same time."

A kiss was placed on the woman's temple, causing her to close her eyes in satisfaction. The weight of her chair shifted as Jiraiya took a seat beside her. His arm wound it's way around her waist, his head leaning to look over her shoulder at the village.

"You ever wish you got married?"

"…you saying I still can't?"

* * *

"Ready?"

"…"

"Sakura? Are you alright?"

"Fine Hinata."

"Shape up, it's not that bad. I was nervous as well, but it'll be replaced by adrenaline. If you're like me."

"She's not like you Tenten. She's fine."

"Shouldn't it be up to Sakura whether she's fine or not?"

"Shush Naruto."

"The music's starting."

"We're up first then. Shall we Ino?" Naruto held his arm out for the girl. She rolled her blue eyes and grasped it.

"Whatever."

The two walked out the back door of the Uchiha home, back into the gardens were the whole wedding setup had been created. Streamers, balloons, and flowers had been arranged, making the garden a white and red haven. Naruto and Ino made their way down the isle first, a rolling red carpet. Naruto clad in his black tuxedo, Ino adorned in her deep red dress, long and flowing, strapless with a beaded design along the bottom. Naruto was grinning as he looked up at Sasuke who's face remained void.

Neji and Tenten were next, followed by Hinata and Shikamaru. All pairs took their respective places at the front of the isle, the preacher standing there smiling. Naruto took his place besides Sasuke. They were all set up before the small koi pond, the sunlight reflecting off the surface with a shimmering glow.

That was when the music changed. The wedding march began to play and it seemed like everyone was holding their breaths.

Sasuke was holding his breath before it was stolen away from him. Sakura appeared in the doorway, hanging off of Kakashi's arm. Her head was cocked slightly to the side and she was smiling as they took a moment to just stand there. Sasuke's eyes widened a bit, completely in awe on the inside, but not evident on the outside.

The girls hair had been left down, straightened so it was nice a smooth. Her veil was attached to a small tiara. Her dress was strapless, the top part hugging her chest was lined with a strip of deep maroon. The dress flowed down from there, the bottom lined with a red beaded design. She walked slowly, Kakashi at her side. It amazed many people to see him in a nice tuxedo, though the disappointment that the mask still covered his face was evident in multiple faces.

As they neared the front, Sakura looked over to Tsunade who sat besides Jiraiya. Sai sat on the other side of Tsunade where he smiled at her, truly smiled. She flashed them all a wink before proceeding to the front. The two stood before the preacher who now spoke as soon as the music died now. "Who gives this girl to this man?"

"I do," Kakashi spoke proudly.

The old man nodded. Kakashi turned to Sakura and lifted her veil, giving a concealed smile. He placed his hands on her shoulder, just standing there with nothing to really say. Sakura smiled up at him, her eyes already shining with wetness. Her own hands slowly moved upwards, delicate fingers hooking over the material of Kakashi's mask.

This was her day. She got whatever she wanted.

So her hands moved downwards, dragging the forsaken mask along with them.

Kakashi's face was revealed to so many people all at once. The shock that flew through the room was immense. The bride just giggled and took in the sight of the handsome face before stepping on her tip-toes in order to place a kiss on the man's cheek.

"Thank you Kakashi. For everything."

Kakashi was startled but allowed a smile to appear on his face. Sakura allowed the image to burn into her mind, knowing that this could possibly the only time she'd ever see his true smile. She returned the mask to it's rightful place and hugged the man.

"Now then," the priest said when all was said and done. Sakura took her place by Sasuke, turning to face him. He faced her as well and met her smile. His eyes softened considerably when he saw the absolute peace come across her features. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

_The linking of two lives._

"Can we have Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha to the dance floor?"

Sasuke and Sakura stood up from behind the wedding parties table. Sasuke's hand was around the girl's waist. No, he didn't want to dance. If he could, he would still be sitting at the table waiting for his dinner to be served. But Sakura would never accept that and he knew that this was something special for her.

_The bonding of two souls._

Sakura's arms looped around Sasuke's neck, his arms around her waist. Her smile wouldn't leave her face and hadn't since she first walked down the isle. Sasuke, not one to smile in favor of smirking, allowed his guard to be let down for this day, and a small, genuine smile was placed were his scowl normally was.

"Ever think you'd be doing this?" he asked the girl, music lost to his ears.

Sakura shook her head. "Never. Come on, do you think I'd ever imagine you dancing?" They swayed to their own rhythm.

_The connection of two hearts._

"Nope," Sasuke chuckled. Sakura buried her face in his neck, just happy to be with him. Sasuke kissed her cheek and she looked up, their lips connecting in a gentle, sensual kiss.

"I love you Sasuke, really."

"I love you too," he said softly, barely audible over the music. But Sakura heard it clearly.

"What if I told you something?"

"You cheating?" Oh yes, guard-less Sasuke was humorous. A new development.

"Funny. No, I'm serious."

"What is it?"

"…"

"Sakura?"

"…how would like to hear that in nearly seven months you'll have a new Uchiha heir?"

"…"

"…"

"What are you getting at? You mean you're…?"

"Pregnant."

"_**Id like to raise a toast to my two best friends on the face of this planet."**_

* * *

Sakura rubbed her swollen stomach, a sigh of contentment escaping her lips as she looked up at Sasuke who's hand moved to cover hers. "Two more months," she said.

* * *

"_**The three of us were teammates. They were…the closest thing to family I'd been given. They still are. And no matter what, I'll love them both forever."**_

* * *

"Sakura's water broke! You have to hurry to the hospital! She's in labor!"

* * *

"_**First I'd like to congratulate them on their marriage. I knew I'd see the day when they were together. Whether they were sixteen or thirty-five, I knew the day would come. Can't you see the love they have for each other? Which is weird, considering this is Sasuke, the heartless teme. But putting that aside, I'm proud."**_

* * *

"Just breath Sakura! Sasuke's on his way! He returned from his mission! Shizune just sent him down here!"

"Ino! Shut it and hold my hand!"

"Alright! Just breath, breath girl, you're okay!"

* * *

"_**Now, I can't guarantee that everything is going to go smoothly for you two, considering your track record."**_

* * *

"He's here!"

"Sasuke?"

"I'm here Sakura." Sasuke took the girl's hand in his own, feeling as she squeezed it with a breaking force as she let out a low groan of pain. Her face was ridden with sweat, her cheeks flushed red.

"Almost there Sakura! A bit more! Keep pushing!"

* * *

"_**You're going to give me cute nieces and nephews right? Sakura, make sure they get your genes alright? Just joking Sasuke. Anyways, just remember, if the road ahead gets tough, you have friends to turn to. Don't ever think you're alone."**_

* * *

"A girl. Look, she's so cute. Oh Sakura! I'm so happy for you."

Sakura panted harshly and she strained to keep her eyes open. The child was laid down upon her chest and she grinned warmly. She felt a hand, Sasuke's, stroked her hair back and out of her face. Her head sank back against the pillow as she tried to settle her breath.

"What are you naming her?"

"Makoto."

* * *

"_**We'll always be here for you guys. I'm not trying to make this sound like it's going to be worse time ever, but you know, that's life."**_

* * *

"Her eyes…"

Sasuke held the child within his arms and her eyes had blinked a bit, finally opening to look up at her father. "They're…blue. Bright blue…"

Sakura looked up at him from her hospital bed, blinking with confusion. "I thought all Uchiha's had black eyes."

"They do," he answered, confused.

"I didn't cheat if that's what you're thinking," Sakura said, exasperated.

"I know you didn't."

* * *

"_**So, I wish you two a happy life full of good dreams, best fortune, and all that other good junk. I'm always here for you as well as everyone else I'm sure. Just remember…"**_

* * *

"Blue eyes? That really is…weird. I expected dark eyes like you have. She _should_ have dark eyes like you."

"…I know…"

* * *

"_**Ride along with the **_F_**low **_O_**f **_L_**ife."**_

* * *

**Omg. Omg. Omg. It's….over. Over. It took me over a YEAR and it's finally done! I really never thought I'd get to this point. I really hope you all enjoyed the ending. I want it to be…different than other endings. I would thank you all individually, but there are too many of you.**

**Anyone confused on the ending? The bold italics were Naruto's toast from the wedding. Everything else is…well I'm sure you know. Anyways…**

**So for all of those who stuck with me from the beginning or if you jumped in at the middle, or took a dive towards the end, thank you all for your support! I really appreciate everything! You've all been wonderful and I can't express my gratitude enough. **

**Cookies for everyone!**

**I love you all! See you next time!**


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